A web server stores all the files of a web page (text, image, video, etc.) and shows them to customers via browsers. It uses the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) protocol. Additionally, every developer must have a local environment to be able to quickly test and change their projects. A web server allows us to make the necessary changes and tests to our pages and web applications. Consequently, having the ability to set up a web server has its advantages. However, this process is not within the reach of anyone as it involves knowledge of programming and source code work. So in this post, we are going to see how to simply set up a web server with EasyPHP Devserver.
Prerequisites
On the program page, it is indicated that it is necessary to have installed Visual C++ Redistribuable for Visual Studio 2015 x86 or x64. In theory, it would only be enough to have this version installed for the server to flow correctly. However, owners of 64-bit computers require both versions of the package. Now, after trying to run the server, the system dropped an error with the msvcr110.dll library. Well, the solution to this problem is to install all versions of Visual C++ published to date today. To simplify this task I give you a link to download all packages compressed into a single file. Just scroll down and select All VC Redistributable Packages (x86_x64) (32 & 64bits).
After decompressing, install all packages one by one.
Downloading EasyPHP Devserver
This is a package that combines the Apache 2.4.25 server, the MySQL 5.7.17 database, and the PHP 7.1.3 programming language. It also includes phpMyAdmin and Xdebug. The first thing we have to do is to go to the official website of the program and download the latest version:
Once you have downloaded the file, double-click on it to start the installation. Select the installation language
Then select the installation directory of the program:
The wizard then offers to create a desktop shortcut.
After the previous settings have been made, the program will begin to install.
The wizard will start the installation process.
After a few minutes, the program will complete the installation. It then executes the program.
Configuring the server
Once the installation is complete, please place the program icon in the taskbar. Right-click on it and select the Open Dashboard option to configure it.
Immediately a new tab will open in the browser with the initial settings of the program.
As you can see, there are two buttons relating to the http server and the database server. By default, they are stopped. So to start them, just click on both start buttons. After doing this, you will see both servers running, the modules being used and the listening ports.
Testing the server
When you click on the sprocket under HTTP server, you enter the server configuration. Once there, click on Server URL and you will be redirected to the server address.
From the server configuration, you can also see that the path to save our web pages is as follows: C:\Program Files (x86)\EasyPHP-Devserver-17\eds-www\. To check that everything is working correctly, please edit the file phpinfo.php with your preferred text editor.
Once the file is open, please enter the following code:
<html>
<body>
<h1>Osradar </h1>
<p>Welcome to Osradar</p>
</body>
</html>
Then reload the server URL and you will see the next result:
By right-clicking on the program icon, you will see some interesting options. Such as to stop and restart the servers, check the ports or simply exit the program.
This program can be used in a portable way. Additionally, each time you want to use it, just click on the program icon. Also, to uninstall it, you just delete the installation folders.
Conclusion
Finally, we have seen how to simply set up a web server with EasyPHP DevServer. This tool supports several programming languages like PHP, Python, Ruby, Perl. Also, running MySQL as a database manager. So it is a very useful tool for personal development environments. This is all for now before I go I invite you to check our post on Node.js in Windows 10
