Best XAMPP Alternatives for Local Web Hosting
XAMPP is a very useful tool for PHP based web development.
However, there are quite viable alternatives to XAMPP, which give us a variety of options to consider.
We can even find lighter toolkits, ideal for less powerful computers.
The large number of features that XAMPP has makes it a good companion in PHP-based web development and localhost management tool. However, you may be looking for alternatives to XAMPP for hosting local websites. If this is your case, then the following list will be very useful to you.
XAMPP alternatives to host websites locally
WampServer
In the case of WampServer, like XAMPP, it allows us to create a server that gives us the possibility to set up a local PHP web using Apache. It supports phpMyAdmin, can manage SQL databases and has a graphical user interface (GUI) environment.
A very positive thing is the fact that it is free, the only problem is that it is only compatible with Windows. If we compare it directly with XAMPP, then the number of available functions is less, but as an additional advantage, it consumes fewer resources than the latter. In addition, in general, WampServer is more friendly with users who do not have much experience in this topic.
Laragon
For those who need a clean and lightweight local development server, Laragon is the perfect alternative to XAMPP. It is compatible with Apache and Nginx. Another plus point is that Laragon allows us to check app URLs.
It supports multiple programming languages, and allows applications to be developed and hosted locally in a flexible manner.
One of the great advantages is the asynchronous service format, which makes it fairly fast. In addition, it supports different versions and types of databases such as MySQL and NoSQL, including Mongo DB.
MAMP
MAMP is cross-platform, runs on Windows, Mac, and is compatible with Nginx. It allows you to run development code written in Python, PHP, Perl and Ruby. The only downside is that it is not a completely free tool.
The Basic MAMP plan allows you to host a website locally and offers limited features. If we subscribe to MAMP Pro, we'll get unlimited storage and cloud access, which will allow us to save projects remotely and keep pace with their development from anywhere.
We may not need to use MAMP Pro, because the basic package includes SQL and GUI, the only negative is that it does not have built-in SSL for secure connections. Although it may be a development, it is not necessary at first.
EasyPHP
When using EasyPHP, we will realize that it is not necessary to configure tools for development from scratch. In addition to allowing us to host development locally, it also gives us the option of a demo web server which essentially turns our computer into a hosting server. In this way, EasyPHP makes our website visible on the network from anywhere.
It provides a completely isolated development environment where we can independently manage, install and update components.
The only "bad" thing is that it is only compatible with MySQL and not cross-platform, it only works on Windows.