Local vs XAMPP: Which Should You Use for Local Development?

When it comes to choosing a local development environment , an abundance of choices can be both a blessing and a curse. There are many options to consider and in this post we are pitting two popular ones against each other. Welcome to Local vs XAMPP . If you are considering using either of these free solutions for building websites locally, this guide will tell you everything you need know before making a decision. We’ll talk about what Local and XAMPP offer, laying out their features, advantages, and differences. Get ready for a detailed rundown. Local vs XAMPP: Setup Local and XAMPP are both powerful tools that share some common ground. Both are free to use, making them accessible to a wide range of developers. And, they both provide environments for local testing and development. Despite these similarities, Local and XAMPP differ significantly in their feature sets and approach. So let’s get started with a closer look at how the setup process compares. Local To get started with Local, you’ll need to first visit the Local website and download the version compatible with your operating system. Run the installer and follow the prompts. The process is intuitive, similar to installing any standard software. Once installed, open Local. The initial setup involves a few basic configurations, like selecting your preferred language and agreeing to terms and conditions. XAMPP Getting started with XAMPP is a similar process. Go to the XAMPP official website and choose the appropriate version for your operating system. During the installation, you’ll select components like Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Perl. After installation, use the XAMPP control panel to start Apache and MySQL services and set up your local server environment. Local offers an easier, more streamlined setup process, ideal for beginners or those who prefer simplicity. XAMPP, while still accessible, requires a bit more technical involvement and is suited to those who want more control over their server environment. Local vs XAMPP: Creating Development Sites Once installation and setup is complete, you can move forward with creating your first development site. Here’s a brief rundown of how that works on both platforms. Local In Local, click on the button that says Create a New Site . Enter the name and specify the local domain and path. Choose between Preferred or Custom environments. The Preferred setup is quicker, while Custom offers more control. Local automatically installs WordPress. You’ll just enter admin credentials to access your WordPress dashboard. XAMPP The process to set up a new site is completely manual in XAMPP. You start by launching the XAMPP Control Panel to activate Apache and MySQL. Then, you manually download WordPress and place it in the htdocs folder of your XAMPP installation. You also have to set up a database for the installation just like you would on a remote server. In XAMPP, this happens under http://localhost/phpmyadmin inside your browser. Finally, to complete the setup, you navigate to localhost/your_site_name and run through the WordPress installation wizard. This process gives you full...

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