We will show you tools that will help you quickly and easily run WordPress on your computer, whether you have Windows, Linux or OS X.
Table of Contents
Why use localhost ?
- Website works like it’s “online”
- You can work as a working server directly on your computer
- You do not need an internet connection
- You can edit files and make changes in the database much faster, especially if you have a slower internet connection, no need to upload anything via FTP, etc.
- You still have a working trial version on hand, where you can try whatever you want without messing up on the production site
- Unlimited domains and installations of any web applications (you are limited only by the HW and SW of your computer)
Perhaps the biggest downside is that your local configuration may not match the one you have on the live server. Here you just need to play around with the configuration and install the right add-ons. The second problem can occur in part if you want to show the website you’re working on to someone outside your local network. For example, you can use dyn.com or easydns.com . With a little effort, therefore, even these small inconveniences can be overcome.
BitNami WordPress
- Free
- Installer available for Windows, Linux and OS X.
- It installs like any other program
- Contains all necessary components (WordPress, Apache HTTP Server, MySQL, PHP)
- Multisite support
- Varnish caching
- Good documentation
DesktopServer
- Provided for free or in a paid (Premium) version
- Windows and OS X.
- The premium version also includes support for Multisite
- Import / export entire WordPress sites and easy deployment to a production server
- Built-in Xdebug
- Everything installs automatically (WordPress, XAMPP and creates a database)
WebMatrix WordPress
- Native Windows application from Microsoft
- Convenient installation of web server, MySQL and PHP together with URL rewrite module and WinCache
- Simple editor for HTML, CSS and ASP.net
- SQL server administration tool
- Basic SEO analysis
- Support for other web applications on this platform and optional extensions
- Ability to deploy directly to IIS
AMPPS
- Easy to install and completely free
- Windows, Mac OS X and Linux
- Ability to install more than 320 open source applications , including WordPress
- Manage domains, Apache and MySQL servers directly in AMPPS settings
Other similar programs:
XAMPP
- Free (GPL)
- Regularly updated versions of Apache / MySQL / PHP and Perl
- Bundled modules like OpenSSL and phpMyAdmin
- Ability to have multiple instances on one system that can be easily moved from one computer to another
- Works on Windows, Linux, OS X and Solaris
- Starts or stops the local server with one click
WampServer
- Free (GPL)
- Windows only (Apache2, PHP, MySQL and phpMyAdmin)
- Multiple installation configurations (32bit / 64bit, PHP version, etc.) and various add-ons so that you can best simulate a real server
MAMP
- Free or paid version ( MAMP Pro )
- OS X only
- Easy management of local domains and integration of dynamic DNS (dyndns and easydns)
- Quick access to phpMyAdmin
- Ability to change the PHP version as needed
- PHP cache (APC, eAccelerator, XCache)
- SSL certificate support (good for testing e-shops, for example)
He can never give you run multiple applications of this character at once! Remember to always turn off the current one and then start another one.
We wrote in this article how to move a WordPress website to another server.
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