Introduction
Localhost is a local server that resides in your computer. You can test your website and apps as many times as you can before uploading to the webserver.
Well a web server is a computer that runs websites and apps. If you have finished making your website and want to launch globally you must use web server. In simple words you must host your application to use online. Localhost will be very useful for you if you are a developer, tester or a network administrator.
The localhost has a default IP address which is 127.0.0.1 that you can see on browser while testing application and websites. A localhost is referred as a loopback addresss that establishes an IP connection to your own computer. Loopback address provides a machine the capability to validate the IP stack
Advantages of using localhost
- Makes your development, testing easier and faster.
- Less chance of losing data.
- You can have a personal backup.
- You can work offline.
- You are not blocked by any firewalls.
- Save internet charges, server cost, etc.
- You can test your website while developing.
There are several tools to setup local server. You can set up localhost via software. Different platform has different local servers. Some of the most popular local servers are:
XAMPP
XAMPP is a widely used cross-platform local server. It is an open-source software developed by Apache Friends. You can install and run this on any operating system. XAMPP contains software packages like Apache, PHP, Perl, Maria DB, etc. It can be easily installed on your local computer or laptop. It has a good user interface to interact with it. The use of XAMPP is to test your website before uploading to the webserver. It gives you the environment for testing MYSQL, PHP, Apache, and Perl projects on the local computer.
WAMP
WAMP is the windows based local server. WAMP stands for Windows, Apache, MySQL and PHP. WAMP is mostly used for windows that lets you to test your application. It is fast, reliable and has php version control. It allows you to test the WordPress features unlike xampp. WAMP has its GUI based control panel. It is free, easy to use and implement. While using WAMP only you will be able to see your website online other people will not be able to see. You can choose your database between maria db and mysql.
MAMP
Unlike XAMP, WAMP and LAMP, MAMP is a local server packages that runs on Mac OS. It is built for Mac users for testing application. But MAMP can run in both Mac and Windows OS. MAMP installs a local server environment on your laptop. MAMP has helps server administrator and web developers providing easier server management. Apache and PHP comes pre-installed in Mac, for other program you need to install MAMP. MAMP comes with in two versions. One is MAMP which is free and another is MAMP Pro which has additional feature and require some cost.
LAMP
LAMP is a Linux-based local server. It is free and open-source software built for a Linux environment. LAMP stands for Linux, apache, mysql, and PHP. LAMP is simple, stable, and powerful. You must use a command-line interface to install and use the LAMP server in Linux. It provides the perfect environment for testing websites and applications. LAMP is a Web application development and deployment environment that, although powerful, is also comparatively simple and easy. It is also called a lamp stack as it has four layers in its platforms.