XAMPP is a free and open source cross-platform web server which consists of mainly MySQL databases, the Apache HTTP server and the interpreters for scripting languages: PHP and Perl. The name XAMPP stands for cross-platform (X), Apache(A), MariaDB(M), PHP(P) and Perl(P). This software is developed by Apache Friends and is released under the GNU license. It is easy to use and create a local web server for testing and deployment purposes. Currently, XAMPP is available for all major operating system like Windows, Linux and Mac OSX).
The lastest XAMPP includes the following features:
- Apache 2.4.23
- MariaDB 10.1.19
- PHP 5.5.38 & PEAR + SQLite 2.8.17/3.7.17 + multibyte (mbstring) support
- Perl 5.16.3
- ProFTPD 1.3.4c
- phpMyAdmin 4.5.2
- OpenSSL 1.0.2j
- FreeTDS 0.91
- OpenLDAP (client) 2.4.21
- FPDF 1.7
- ICU4C Library 4.8.1
- APR 1.5.2 and much more
For more information visit XAMPP Official Website.
[rara_box box_color=”info-box”]Also Read: WMail – Gmail Desktop Client Application for Linux[/rara_box]
Installing XAMPP on Ubuntu
Now let’s see how to install XAMPP on your Ubuntu or any other Linux machine. I am using Ubuntu 16.04 (64bit) and it works fine. This process will also work for older versions.
- Visit XAMPP website and copy the URL of suitable XAMPP version (32bit or 64bit).
- Open the Terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and download XAMPP with the following command:
[rara_box box_color=”success-box”]$ wget <pasted copied URL>[/rara_box]e.g wget https://www.apachefriends.org/xampp-files/5.5.38/xampp-linux-x64-5.5.38-3-installer.run
After that, it will start downloading the files which will take a couple of minutes or hours to download depending on your internet speed. - As soon as the download is finished, run this following command in the terminal:
[rara_box box_color=”success-box”]$ ls[/rara_box]It will list all the files and folders on your Desktop. You will also see the recently downloaded XAMPP file. Copy the XAMPP filename. - Now execute the following command in your terminal:
[rara_box box_color=”success-box”]$ sudo chmod +x <paste copied filename>[/rara_box]e.g sudo chmod +x xampp-linux-x64-5.5.38-3-installer.runThen enter your password and hit Enter.
- Now to make the file executable run the following command in Terminal:
[rara_box box_color=”success-box”]$ sudo ./< paste copied filename>[/rara_box]e.g sudo ./xampp-linux-x64-5.5.38-3-installer.run
A XAMPP setup installation wizard will appear as shown below: - Now click Next > Next > Next > Next > Next until it start installing files.
- Finally, click on Finish to complete the installation.
Starting XAMPP on Ubuntu
Once the installation is completed, you can start XAMPP service with the following command in Terminal:
[rara_box box_color=”warning-box”]$ sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start[/rara_box]
To open the page of XAMPP, whenever you want, just type localhost in your web browser. It will automatically redirect you to the XAMPP dashboard.
If you want to stop XAMPP, type the following in Terminal:
[rara_box box_color=”warning-box”]$ sudo /opt/lampp/lampp stop[/rara_box]
Wrapping Up
XAMPP allows you to create a local server and test your applications without any cost. I hope that now you can easily install XAMPP on Ubuntu. If you have any doubts or face any issues, please kindly address your issues through the comments below.
