Posted by Creating a localhost environment is one of the essentials for running a website. When running the localhost, your Magento 2 XAMPP site will run faster and the system will be more secure.
It also provides an ideal testing environment on your computer, keeping you away from the prying eyes of hackers. This article will give you useful information about Magento 2 XAMPP and how to use it effectively.
What is XAMPP?
In the technical aspect, Magento XAMPP software is standard software and is often used by developers to create and develop Websites.
XAMPP is often used to create Website servers with Apache, PHP, MySQL/MariaDB (XAMPP 5.5.30 and 5.6.14, XAMPP ship MariaDB instead of MySQL but the commands and tools are the same for both), FTP Server, Mail Server built-in and tools such as phpMyAdmin.
Magento XAMPP Pros
- XAMPP can run on all operating systems such as Windows, macOS, Cross-platform, and Linux.
- XAMPP has a simple configuration and many useful functions for users, such as server emulation, Mail Server emulation, and SSL support on Localhost.
Instead of installing each of the above components, now you need to use XAMPP to get a complete Website server.
- Open source: XAMPP has a convenient open setting for you to freely edit following your reference.
- PWA feature: The Web App (or PWA) brings more people to your business, to increase conversions and generate more leads.
However, you need the GraphQL Language feature in Magento 2.3 to run the PWA settings.
- Higher security:
With support for PHP 7.2x, Magento will be enhanced performance and security. The equipment of reCAPTCHA and 2FA (two-factor authentication) adds many layers of protection against malicious access when someone attempts to break into your Magento admin panel.
Magento XAMPP Cons
- In contrast to its simple configuration, XAMPP has a complicated admin setting system to adjust, followed by a lot of very complex tuning system commands.
- XAMPP’s capacity is also relatively massive due to its installation file size, which is 141Mb.
Ways To Install Magento 2 XAMPP
More details:
Install Magento XAMPP
Step 1: Download XAMPP
Download the newest XAMPP version on Apache Friends Website:
https://www.apachefriends.org/index.html
Step 2: Install XAMPP
- Double-click on the file to install XAMPP.
- Click Next.
- Afterward, please follow the guide and select the most suitable selections for you.
- After finishing the installation, the setup will now install XAMPP on your computer. Please wait for a while.
- Besides, you will see the option “Do you want to start the Control Panel now?”. Keep it selected and click Finish to exit setup and enter XAMPP Control Panel.
Step 3: Configure XAMPP
- In XAMPP Control Panel, click the “Config” button on Apache row and click “PHP (php.ini).”
- In the PHP, find these rows:
extension=php_curl.dll extension=php_pdo_sqlite.dll extension=php_pdo_mysql.dll extension=php_soap.dll
- After the installation, remember to turn on the Apache and MySQL/MariaDB by clicking the “Start” button.
Step 4: Configure the host file
- Open file:
“C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts”.
- Add the following line to the last row of the file:
127.0.0.1 www.localhost.com
Download & install Magento 2
Note: There are 2 versions of Magento settings:
- Simple Data: customer information, product, quantity, promotion included…
- No Simple Data: will be blank after installation.
Step 1: Download Magento 2 from the following:
https://magento.com/tech-resources/download
Source: Blankapham.com
- Sign in to your account to choose the downloading format and download it.
Step 2: Extract the archive file
After completing the download process, create a folder inside “xampp\htdocs” and extract the downloaded archive file into that folder.
Step 3: Generate a new empty database for Magento 2 XAMPP
- Browse the URL “http://localhost/phpmyadmin/” to access the phpMyAdmin page.
- Create a database name (“Magento 2”, for example).
Source: Blankapham.com
Step 4: Install Magento 2
- In your browser, enter the URL “http://localhost/your_database_name” to start installing Magento 2. (for example “http://localhost/Magento2”)
- Read all the terms & agreements if it’s in need and then click “Agree and Setup Magento “
- Click “Start Readiness Check “
Step 5: Save php.ini file and restart XAMPP
- Click “Try Again” to refresh Magento 2 Installation page
Step 6: Fill in the blank
- Fill in the information fields based on the database names that you set in the previous step
- Enter the URL for your Website address. You can leave these by default or edit as you wish
- Edit your Website’s time zone, default currency, and language
- Create an admin account
Note:
- During the installation of XAMPP software, you should turn off every other programs and software to avoid application conflicts to ensure that the installation process becomes successful.
For instance, in case the Windows 10 server has IIS installed, it can not install XAMPP, which will be a conflict with each other.
- In case your computer is using Skype, open Skype -> Tools -> Connection Options -> and uncheck “Use port 80 and 443 … ..”. Without doing this, XAMPP would not be able to run because Skype used the network port 80.
- Besides, it would be best if you also uninstalled all other Antivirus software, as these may block port 80 or Website server applications, making XAMPP inoperable.
Step 7: Finish installation
- After completing all the information about your Website, you have reached the final stage.
Some Must-know Query Answers
#1. Where are the main XAMPP configuration files?
- MySQL configuration file:
\xampp\mysql\bin\my.ini
- PHP configuration file:
\xampp\php\php.ini
- FileZilla Server configuration file:
\xampp\FileZillaFTP\FileZilla Server.xml
- Apache main configuration files:
\xampp\apache\conf\httpd.conf \xampp\apache\conf\extra\httpd-xampp.conf
- Apache Tomcat configuration file:
\xampp\tomcat\conf\server.xml
\xampp\sendmail\sendmail.ini
- Mercury Mail configuration file:
\xampp\MercuryMail\MERCURY.INI
#2. Why are pictures and style-sheets not available?
There are some problems displaying pictures and style-sheets.
To solve this, you need to enable one of the following lines in the file “\xampp\apache\conf\httpd.conf”:
- EnableSendfile off
- EnableMMAP off
#3. Can you delete the “install” directory after the installation?
The answer is you had better not do that because those scripts are still needed for all additional packages (add-ons) and upgrades of XAMPP.
#4. Why some PHP open source applications do not work with XAMPP on Windows?
We regret to announce that XAMPP generated some PHP applications and extensions for Linux, which haven’t been ported to Windows.
#5. Ways to configure the antivirus application
All dependencies and servers required for running website applications are included below.
Windows operating system with an antivirus application enabled may slow down the installation remarkably, and one of the servers (website server, database server) may be blocked too by the antivirus software.
If you have an antivirus tool enabled, the following settings are for running XAMPP with no performance issues:
- Add exceptions in the firewall: for Apache, MySQL, or the other servers.
- Scan files when executing: Having the antivirus scanned for all data, you would slow down the executable files for the servers.
- Scan the traffic for different URLs: Exclude “localhost” traffic in the Antivirus settings if you are developing with XAMPP on your machine.
Conclusion
Although XAMPP still has some defects, all the great features that Magento 2 XAMPP brings are undeniable. Please feel free to experience the utility or shortcomings of XAMPP yourself!
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