Understanding, Functions, How to Install, and How to Use XAMPP
XAMPP is a free and open source web server developed by Apache Friends. Because it is free and open source, this software is widely used by website developers because it is also easy to use. XAMPP also has its own meaning from each character.
Meaning of XAMPP
X can be read cross which means cross platform or can be run on many operating systems such as Windows, Linux, or Mac OS.
A stands for Apache which is the name of the web application server. Its job is to display web pages from php code that has been written or created by the developer.
M stands for MySQL, which is a database application server. MySQL uses Structured Query Language (SQL) in managing or processing its database. Thus, programmers / developers can use SQL to change the database structure, change data, or add data in the database. In MySQL, all data stored on a website is stored, for example customer data, goods, sales, and so on.
The first P stands for PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor), which is a programming language used to create dynamic websites. The program code from PHP is not displayed on the user side because it is processed on the server, so that what is displayed on the user is only the display of the HTML code that has been processed by the browser.
The second P is Perl, which is a dynamic programming language that can be used for many purposes.
XAMPP Functions
XAMPP functions as a server for database and web applications that can stand alone, allowing programmers or website developers to create offline web by using it.
How to Install XAMPP
1. Download the XAMPP Software according to the operating system that will be used in https://www.apachefriends.org/download.html
2. After the installer is finished downloading, open the installer file to install the software by double clicking the file
3. If asked to select the components to be installed, choose according to your needs, usually standard features will be checked automatically
4. For the installation location, the default settings are also from the installation file, but if you want to move or change it, change it to the part of the hard disk that still has a lot of free space or empty space because later in web development the size may increase along with the use of plugins or components other additions.
5. After the installation is complete, try running the XAMPP program, if the installation is successful, it will open perfectly, while if it is corrupt or error, try uninstalling and then installing again (reinstall or reinstall).
How to Use XAMPP
1. Open the XAMPP App
2. If there are still default files in the htdocs folder, please backup the default files from xampp in a folder, then delete the contents of the htdocs file.
3. Place the created PHP file in htdocs
4. Run Apache Web Server
5. Run MySQL Database Server
6. If an error occurs and it can’t run, try checking the port being used, it may already be used by another program. If this happens, it is better to change the port settings to another port.
7. If the server is running successfully, open a browser and type localhost in the address bar followed by a colon and the port number if not using the standard http port (80). Example: localhost:8088
Advantages of XAMPP
1. Does not require internet connection
2. Easy Use
3. Cross Platform so you don’t have to worry if you move it to another computer
4. Free and Open Source so it does not require additional costs in its use