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How to Set Up PHP: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Set Up PHP: A Step-by-Step Guide

Setting up PHP on your local machine is essential for developing and testing PHP applications. There are various methods to install PHP, but one of the most convenient ways is to use MAMP. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of setting up PHP using MAMP.

MAMP is a free tool available for Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. It provides a comprehensive package that includes an HTTP server (typically Apache or nginx), PHP, and a database (such as MySQL). With MAMP, you can easily start and stop all these components using its user-friendly interface.

Before we begin, please note that you can follow this guide regardless of the PHP installation method you choose. However, for the purpose of this guide, we will focus on using MAMP.

Here’s how to set up PHP using MAMP:

  1. Visit the MAMP website at https://www.mamp.info and download the appropriate version for your operating system.

  2. Once the download is complete, proceed with the installation according to your operating system’s instructions. After the installation, you will have the MAMP application installed on your machine.

  3. Launch the MAMP application. You will be greeted with a window that looks like this:

  1. Ensure that the selected PHP version is the latest available. At the time of writing, MAMP allows you to choose version 8.0.8. If you prefer a more recent version, you can install it by enabling the MAMP PRO Demo, installing the latest release from the MAMP PRO settings (e.g., 8.1.0), and then reopening MAMP (non-pro version).

Note: Although MAMP PRO offers additional features, it is not necessary to follow this guide. The instructions outlined here are based on the non-pro version of MAMP.

  1. Click on the “Start” button located at the top right corner of the MAMP window. This will start the Apache HTTP server with PHP enabled, as well as the MySQL database.

  2. Open your web browser and enter the URL http://localhost:8888. You should see a page similar to this:

This confirms that your PHP setup is working correctly.

  1. To begin writing PHP code, navigate to the “Document root” folder. On a Mac using MAMP, the default location is /Applications/MAMP/htdocs. On Windows, it is C:\MAMP\htdocs. However, your folder location may differ depending on your configuration. You can find the exact location within the MAMP application interface.

  2. Within the “Document root” folder, you will find a file named index.php. This file is responsible for displaying the page shown above.

Congratulations! You have successfully set up PHP using MAMP. Now you can start developing PHP applications on your local machine.

Tags: PHP installation, MAMP, local development, Apache, nginx, MySQL