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XAMPP: Tips for Running an Apache/MySQL Server in Windows XP

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Would you like to learn PHP programming? Would you also like to learn MySQL? If so, then do you have an Apache-MySQL powered website? If not, then all you need to do if you are using Windows XP is download and install XAMPP. Keep reading to learn more about this web server.

XAMPP is an Apache web server installed right in your Windows XP PC that will run offline and does not need an Internet connection. This is commonly called a “localhost” by many PHP web developers and in the open source community.

XAMPP is open source software; this means it is FREE. You do not need to spend a lot if you'd like to learn PHP programming and MySQL. All you need to do is have a personal computer (using Windows XP) and install XAMPP.

To give you a little background, 65% of websites are powered by Apache, so if you have the skills in Apache, PHP and MySQL web administration, then you have a lot of opportunities to make money in the online business world, both as a freelancer and an entrepreneur.

Terminology for Apache-based powered websites

Before you can use XAMPP, it is essential to learn important terminology in XAMPP and how it relates to the online world.

Apache is web server software. The purpose of this software is to provide control and administration of a website. Control and administration includes execution of scripts at the server side, and security checks or authentication. In a real web server, this is installed in a computer called “racks,” which is also run by either Linux or Windows Environment, but most configurations are powered by the Linux operating system, since it is the native OS of open source web server scripts, such as PHP.

Web server software like Apache is installed in a web hosting company's computer. It interacts with your Internet browser (i.e. Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, etc) as follows. First, your browser requests information from the web server. The Apache web server receives the HTTP request, and then executes PHP scripts to pull data from the MySQL database (if this is a dynamic website). Apache then executes scripts again to send the information back to you in HTML code, which is readable by your browser.

PHP is the programming language that is executed by the Apache web server on the server side, to process the user’s input and requests.

MySQL is the database; this is where all the website's information is stored. For example, if your website uses a template which is stored in your web hosting space (website files ending in .php), then, depending on the client's request, PHP will pull the data from the database to fill in the website's template, which is returned to your browser. The data could be anything, from products in an e-commerce website, MP3 files in a music website, posts in your WordPress blog or posts in a forum. Have you ever wondered why those pages are very similar? It is because the site is using a template, and those items presented are grabbed from the database using PHP scripts.