XAMPP: A Powerful and Flexible Apache Solution for Your Web Projects
- ticumsthunriopersa
- Aug 5, 2023
- 15 min read
XAMPP Download: A Complete Guide for Beginners
If you are a web developer or a web enthusiast who wants to create and test your own web applications locally, you might have heard of XAMPP. But what is XAMPP exactly? How can you download, install, and use it? In this article, we will answer these questions and more. We will explain what XAMPP is, what it consists of, what are its advantages and disadvantages, how to download it for different operating systems, how to install it, and how to use it. By the end of this article, you will have a clear understanding of XAMPP and how to use it for your web development projects.
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What is XAMPP?
XAMPP is a free and open-source software package that provides a complete web server solution stack for web development. It stands for Cross-platform (X), Apache (A), MariaDB (M), PHP (P), and Perl (P). It includes the Apache HTTP Server, the MariaDB database server, and the PHP and Perl programming languages. It also comes with other useful tools and applications such as OpenSSL, phpMyAdmin, MediaWiki, Joomla, WordPress, and more.
The meaning of XAMPP
The term XAMPP is an apparent acronym, but there is no official acronym expansion specified on the Apache Friends website. Their homepage header reads "XAMPP Apache + MariaDB + PHP + Perl", indicating that this abbreviation is a recursive acronym. The term can be unofficially broken down as follows:
X: An ideographic letter referring to cross-platform
A: Apache or its expanded form, Apache HTTP Server
M: MariaDB (formerly MySQL)
P: PHP
P: Perl
MySQL was replaced with MariaDB on 19 October 2015 and beginning with XAMPP versions 5.5.30 and 5.6.14, effectively altering the meaning of the acronym. While both letters P are de facto interchangeable, the convention used at the Apache Friends website indicates that the first letter P is short for PHP and the latter letter P is short for Perl.
The components of XAMPP
XAMPP has four primary components that are essential for web development. These are:
Apache: Apache is the actual web server application that processes and delivers web content to a computer. Apache is the most popular web server online, powering nearly 54% of all websites.
MariaDB: MariaDB is a relational database management system that stores and manages data for web applications. MariaDB is an open source fork of MySQL that offers better performance and features.
used to create dynamic web pages that can interact with databases and offer various functionalities.
Perl: Perl is another server-side scripting language that is widely used for web development, especially for text processing and data extraction. Perl is known for its flexibility and powerful regular expressions.
Besides these four components, XAMPP also includes other tools and applications that can enhance the web development experience. Some of these are:
OpenSSL: OpenSSL is a software library that provides cryptographic functions and protocols such as SSL and TLS. It is used to secure the communication between web servers and clients.
phpMyAdmin: phpMyAdmin is a web-based application that allows users to manage MySQL or MariaDB databases using a graphical user interface. It can perform various tasks such as creating, modifying, deleting, importing, and exporting databases, tables, columns, indexes, users, and more.
MediaWiki: MediaWiki is a free and open-source software that powers Wikipedia and other wiki-based websites. It is a content management system that allows users to create and edit web pages collaboratively using a simple markup language.
Joomla: Joomla is a popular and award-winning content management system that allows users to create and manage websites and online applications. It offers thousands of extensions and templates to customize the appearance and functionality of the websites.
WordPress: WordPress is the most widely used content management system in the world, powering more than 40% of all websites. It is a free and open-source software that allows users to create and manage blogs, e-commerce sites, portfolios, news sites, and more. It also offers thousands of themes and plugins to enhance the websites.
The advantages and disadvantages of XAMPP
XAMPP has many advantages for web developers who want to create and test their web applications locally. Some of these are:
XAMPP is free and open-source, which means anyone can download, use, modify, and distribute it without any cost or license restrictions.
XAMPP is cross-platform, which means it can run on Windows, Linux, Mac OS, and other operating systems.
XAMPP is easy to install and use, as it comes with a simple installer and a graphical user interface that allows users to control the servers and applications with a few clicks.
XAMPP is portable, which means it can be run from a USB drive or a cloud service without any installation or configuration.
XAMPP is comprehensive, as it includes all the essential components and tools for web development in one package.
However, XAMPP also has some disadvantages that users should be aware of. Some of these are:
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XAMPP is not secure by default, as it is designed for development purposes only. It does not have any security features or settings enabled, which makes it vulnerable to attacks from hackers or malicious users. Users should not use XAMPP for production or live environments unless they know how to secure it properly.
XAMPP may cause conflicts with other applications or services that use the same ports or resources as XAMPP. For example, if another web server or database server is already running on the same computer as XAMPP, they may interfere with each other and cause errors or malfunctions.
XAMPP may not be compatible with some web applications or frameworks that require specific versions or configurations of the components or tools included in XAMPP. Users may need to update or customize XAMPP to meet the requirements of their web projects.
How to download XAMPP?
Downloading XAMPP is very easy and straightforward. Users can download XAMPP from the official website of Apache Friends at There are different versions of XAMPP available for different operating systems and PHP versions. Users should choose the version that suits their needs and preferences.
The steps to download XAMPP for Windows
Go to and click on the "XAMPP for Windows" button.
Select the version of XAMPP that you want to download from the list. The latest version is recommended for most users.
Click on the "Download" button next to the version you selected. This will start downloading the XAMPP installer file to your computer.
Wait for the download to complete. The file size may vary depending on the version you chose, but it should be around 150 MB.
The steps to download XAMPP for Linux
Go to and click on the "XAMPP for Linux" button.
Select the version of XAMPP that you want to download from the list. The latest version is recommended for most users.
Click on the "Download" button next to the version you selected. This will start downloading the XAMPP installer file to your computer.
Wait for the download to complete. The file size may vary depending on the version you chose, but it should be around 150 MB.
The steps to download XAMPP for Mac OS
Go to and click on the "XAMPP for OS X" button.
Select the version of XAMPP that you want to download from the list. The latest version is recommended for most users.
Click on the "Download" button next to the version you selected. This will start downloading the XAMPP installer file to your computer.
Wait for the download to complete. The file size may vary depending on the version you chose, but it should be around 150 MB.
How to install XAMPP?
Installing XAMPP is also very easy and straightforward. Users can install XAMPP by running the installer file that they downloaded from the official website. The installation process may differ slightly depending on the operating system, but it is generally similar and simple. Here are the steps to install XAMPP on different operating systems:
The steps to install XAMPP on Windows
Locate the XAMPP installer file that you downloaded on your computer. It should have a name like xampp-windows-x64-8.0.9-0-VS16-installer.exe or something similar.
Double-click on the installer file to launch it. You may see a warning message from User Account Control (UAC) asking for permission to run the file. Click on "Yes" to continue.
You will see a welcome screen from the XAMPP Setup Wizard. Click on "Next" to proceed.
You will see a screen where you can select the components that you want to install. By default, all components are selected, but you can uncheck any component that you don't need or want. Click on "Next" to continue.
You will see a screen where you can choose the installation folder for XAMPP. By default, it is C:\xampp, but you can change it if you want. Click on "Next" to continue.
You will see a screen where you can choose whether to learn more about Bitnami, a service that offers ready-to-use web applications for XAMPP. You can check or uncheck this option as per your preference. Click on "Next" to continue.
You will see a screen where you can review your installation settings and start the installation process. Click on "Next" to begin installing XAMPP.
Wait for the installation process to complete. It may take a few minutes depending on your computer speed and internet connection.
You will see a screen where you can choose whether to start the XAMPP Control Panel after finishing the installation. You can check or uncheck this option as per your preference. Click on "Finish" to complete the installation.
The steps to install XAMPP on Linux
Locate the XAMPP installer file that you downloaded on your computer. It should have a name like xampp-linux-x64-8.0.9-0-installer.run or something similar.
Open a terminal window and navigate to the folder where you saved the installer file.
Type chmod +x xampp-linux-x64-8.0.9-0-installer.run and press Enter to make the installer file executable.
Type sudo ./xampp-linux-x64-8.0.9-0-installer.run and press Enter to run the installer file as root user. You may need to enter your password when prompted.
You will see a welcome screen from the XAMPP Setup Wizard. Click on "Next" to proceed.
You will see a screen where you can choose the installation folder for XAMPP. By default, it is /opt/lampp, but you can change it if you want. Click on "Next" to continue.
You will see a screen where you can choose whether to learn more about Bitnami, a service that offers ready-to-use web applications for XAMPP. You can check or uncheck this option as per your preference. Click on "Next" to continue.
You will see a screen where you can review your installation settings and start the installation process. Click on "Next" to begin installing XAMPP.
Wait for the installation process to complete. It may take a few minutes depending on your computer speed and internet connection.
You will see a screen where you can choose whether to launch XAMPP after finishing the installation. You can check or uncheck this option as per your preference. Click on "Finish" to complete the installation.
The steps to install XAMPP on Mac OS
Locate the XAMPP installer file that you downloaded on your computer. It should have a name like xampp-osx-8.0.9-0-vm.dmg or something similar.
Double-click on the installer file to mount it as a disk image.
Open the disk image and double-click on the XAMPP icon to launch it.
You will see a welcome screen from the XAMPP Setup Wizard. Click on "Next" to proceed.
You will see a screen where you can select the components that you want to install. By default, all components are selected, but you can uncheck any component that you don't need or want. Click on "Next" to continue.
You will see a screen where you can choose the installation folder for XAMPP. By default, it is /Applications/XAMPP, but you can change it if you want. Click on "Next" to continue.
You will see a screen where you can choose whether to learn more about Bitnami, a service that offers ready-to-use web applications for XAMPP. You can check or uncheck this option as per your preference. Click on "Next" to continue.
You will see a screen where you can review your installation settings and start the installation process. Click on "Next" to begin installing XAMPP.
Wait for the installation process to complete. It may take a few minutes depending on your computer speed and internet connection.
You will see a screen where you can choose whether to launch XAMPP after finishing the installation. You can check or uncheck this option as per your preference. Click on "Finish" to complete the installation.
How to use XAMPP?
Using XAMPP is also very easy and straightforward. Users can use XAMPP by launching the XAMPP Control Panel and managing the servers and applications from there. The XAMPP Control Panel allows users to start and stop the Apache, MariaDB, PHP, and Perl servers, as well as access other tools and applications such as phpMyAdmin, MediaWiki, Joomla, WordPress, and more. Here are the steps to use XAMPP on different operating systems:
The steps to start and stop XAMPP servers
To start and stop XAMPP servers, users need to launch the XAMPP Control Panel and click on the "Start" or "Stop" buttons next to each server name. The status of each server will be indicated by green or red icons.
The steps to start and stop XAMPP servers on Windows
Go to Start > All Programs > XAMPP > XAMPP Control Panel or double-click on the xampp-control.exe file in the C:\xampp folder.
The XAMPP Control Panel will open in a new window. You will see four servers listed: Apache, MySQL (MariaDB), FileZilla FTP Server, and Mercury Mail Server.
To start a server, click on the "Start" button next to its name. To stop a server, click on the "Stop" button next to its name.
You can also start or stop all servers at once by clicking on the "Start All" or "Stop All" buttons at the bottom of the window.
The steps to start and stop XAMPP servers on Linux
lampp stop to start or stop all servers respectively. You may need to enter your password when prompted.
You can also start or stop individual servers by adding their names after the command. For example, sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start apache or sudo /opt/lampp/lampp stop mysql.
You can check the status of the servers by typing sudo /opt/lampp/lampp status. You will see a list of servers and their status (running or stopped).
The steps to start and stop XAMPP servers on Mac OS
Go to Applications > XAMPP > manager-osx.app or double-click on the manager-osx.app file in the /Applications/XAMPP folder.
The XAMPP Control Panel will open in a new window. You will see four servers listed: Apache, MySQL (MariaDB), ProFTPD, and Tomcat.
To start a server, click on the "Start" button next to its name. To stop a server, click on the "Stop" button next to its name.
You can also start or stop all servers at once by clicking on the "Start All" or "Stop All" buttons at the bottom of the window.
The steps to create and test a PHP file
To create and test a PHP file, users need to create a file with a .php extension and save it in the htdocs folder of XAMPP. The htdocs folder is where XAMPP stores all the web files that can be accessed by the web server. Users can then access the PHP file by typing localhost/filename.php in their web browser.
The steps to create and test a PHP file on Windows
Open any text editor of your choice and type some PHP code. For example, you can type to display a simple message.
Save the file as hello.php in the C:\xampp\htdocs folder.
Open your web browser and type localhost/hello.php in the address bar. You should see the message "Hello, world!" displayed on the screen.
The steps to create and test a PHP file on Linux
Open any text editor of your choice and type some PHP code. For example, you can type to display a simple message.
Save the file as hello.php in the /opt/lampp/htdocs folder.
Open your web browser and type localhost/hello.php in the address bar. You should see the message "Hello, world!" displayed on the screen.
The steps to create and test a PHP file on Mac OS
Open any text editor of your choice and type some PHP code. For example, you can type to display a simple message.
Save the file as hello.php in the /Applications/XAMPP/htdocs folder.
Open your web browser and type localhost/hello.php in the address bar. You should see the message "Hello, world!" displayed on the screen.
The steps to access phpMyAdmin and manage databases
To access phpMyAdmin and manage databases, users need to launch phpMyAdmin from the XAMPP Control Panel and log in with their username and password. phpMyAdmin is a web-based application that allows users to manage MySQL or MariaDB databases using a graphical user interface. Users can perform various tasks such as creating, modifying, deleting, importing, and exporting databases, tables, columns, indexes, users, and more.
The steps to access phpMyAdmin and manage databases on Windows
Go to Start > All Programs > XAMPP > XAMPP Control Panel or double-click on the xampp-control.exe file in the C:\xampp folder.
The XAMPP Control Panel will open in a new window. Click on the "Admin" button next to MySQL (MariaDB) server name. This will open phpMyAdmin in your web browser.
You will see a login screen where you need to enter your username and password. By default, the username is root and there is no password. Click on "Go" to log in.
The steps to access phpMyAdmin and manage databases on Linux
Open a terminal window and type sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start mysql or sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start mariadb to start the MySQL or MariaDB server respectively. You may need to enter your password when prompted.
Open your web browser and type localhost/phpmyadmin in the address bar. This will open phpMyAdmin in your web browser.
You will see a login screen where you need to enter your username and password. By default, the username is root and there is no password. Click on "Go" to log in.
You will see the phpMyAdmin dashboard where you can manage your databases. You can use the menus and buttons on the top and left side of the screen to perform various actions.
The steps to access phpMyAdmin and manage databases on Mac OS
Go to Applications > XAMPP > manager-osx.app or double-click on the manager-osx.app file in the /Applications/XAMPP folder.
The XAMPP Control Panel will open in a new window. Click on the "Manage Servers" tab and then click on the "Start" button next to MySQL Database server name. This will start the MySQL server.
Open your web browser and type localhost/phpmyadmin in the address bar. This will open phpMyAdmin in your web browser.
You will see a login screen where you need to enter your username and password. By default, the username is root and there is no password. Click on "Go" to log in.
You will see the phpMyAdmin dashboard where you can manage your databases. You can use the menus and buttons on the top and left side of the screen to perform various actions.
Conclusion
In this article, we have learned what XAMPP is, what it consists of, what are its advantages and disadvantages, how to download it for different operating systems, how to install it, and how to use it. We have also seen how to create and test a PHP file and how to access phpMyAdmin and manage databases using XAMPP. XAMPP is a great tool for web developers who want to create and test their web applications locally without any hassle. It is free, open-source, cross-platform, easy to use, and comprehensive. However, users should also be aware of its security risks and compatibility issues and take appropriate measures to avoid them.
Summary of the main points
XAMPP stands for Cross-platform (X), Apache (A), MariaDB (M), PHP (P), and Perl (P). It is a free and open-source software package that provides a complete web server solution stack for web development.
XAMPP includes the Apache HTTP Server, the MariaDB database server, and the PHP and Perl programming languages. It also comes with other useful tools and applications such as OpenSSL, phpMyAdmin, MediaWiki, Joomla, WordPress, and more.
XAMPP has many advantages such as being free, cross-platform, easy to install and use, portable, and comprehensive. It also has some disadvantages such as being insecure by default, causing conflicts with other applications or services, and being incompatible with some web applications or frameworks.
XAMPP can be downloaded from the official website of Apache Friends at There are different versions of XAMPP available for different operating systems and PHP versions.
XAMPP can be installed by running the installer file that is downloaded from the official website. The installation process may differ slightly depending on the operating system, but it is generally similar and simple.
XAMPP can be used by launching the XAMPP Control Panel and managing the servers and applications from there. The XAMPP Control Panel allows users to start and stop the Apache, MariaDB, PHP, and Perl servers, as well as access other tools and applications such as phpMyAdmin, MediaWiki, Joomla, WordPress, and more.
XAMPP can also be used to create and test PHP files and manage databases using phpMyAdmin. Users need to create and save PHP files in the htdocs folder of XAMPP and access them by typing localhost/filename.php in their web browser. Users can also access phpMyAdmin by typing localhost/phpmyadmin in their web browser and log in with their username and password.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about XAMPP and their answers:
What is the difference between XAMPP and WAMP?
WAMP stands for Windows (W), Apache (A), MySQL (M), and PHP (P). It is a similar software package to XAMPP, but it only works on Windows operating system. XAMPP, on the other hand, works on multiple operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Mac OS, and others. XAMPP also includes Perl and MariaDB instead of MySQL.
How can I secure XAMPP?
XAMPP is not secure by default, as it is designed for development purposes only. Users should not use XAMPP for production or live environments unless they know how to secure it properly. Some of the steps to secure XAMPP are:
Change the default passwords for the root user of MySQL or MariaDB and the admin user of phpMyAdmin.
Disable the components or services that are not needed or used.
Enable SSL encryption for the web server and the database server.
Update XAMPP and its components regularly to fix any security vulnerabilities or bugs.
Use a firewall or antivirus software to protect the computer from external attacks.
How can I update XAMPP?
XAMPP does not have an automatic update feature, so users need to update it manually. The easiest way to update XAMPP is to download and install the latest version of XAMPP from the official website. However, this may overwrite the existing files and settings of XAMPP, so users should backup their data and configuration files before updating. Alternatively, users can update individual components of XAMPP by downloading and installing them separately from their respective websites.
How can I uninstall XAMPP?
XAMPP can be uninstalled by running the uninstaller file that is included in the installation folder of XAMPP. The uninstaller file may have a name like uninstall.exe or uninstall.app depending on the operating system. Users should stop all servers and close all applications before running the uninstaller file. The uninstaller file will remove all files and settings of XAMPP from the computer.
Where can I get more help or support for XAMPP?
XAMPP is a community project that is supported by volunteers and users. Users can get more help or support for XAMPP by visiting the official website of Apache Friends at There they can find documentation, forums, blogs, FAQs, and other resources related to XAMPP. Users can also contact the developers or contributors of XAMPP through email or social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or GitHub.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and learned something new about XAMPP. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please let me know in the comments section below. Thank you for your time and attention. 44f88ac181
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