Windows: XAMPP vs WampServer vs EasyPHP vs alternative

Question

There was a similar question asked here three years ago, but I want to open it up further to include all possible Windows/Apache/MySQL/PHP stacks.

Which to do you think is best?

XAMPP seems to be the most popular, but I've read several bad things about it that make me wonder if it's as good as its popularity suggests. For example, I've heard that their default PHP configuration is very insecure (and apparently their admin app can't function without these holes being left open). This isn't terrible for a development situation, obviously, but you may end up relying on something like register_globals.

I also spotted something else which makes me concerned: The developers recommend that Vista users disable UAC in order to use their software!

For me that's a big red flag. Yes, there are problems with getting something like this running on Vista with UAC enabled, but disabling UAC should never be offered as a solution, especially for newbs (who need UAC more than anyone). It makes me very concerned.

WampServer apparently is easier to switch versions of PHP or Apache, if you need to. But it comes with less features than XAMPP (no FTP server, for example).

EasyPHP is one that I have no experience of, so I can't say, but it's apparently pretty popular, too.

Alternatives? There a ton of other stacks listed on Wikipedia. Do any of these come recommended?

So which do you use, and why do you consider it the best? Did you just stick with the first one you tried?

I imagine most of us just want something quick, light, and up-to-date.

Solution 1

I generally install Apache + PHP + MySQL by-hand, not using any package like those you're talking about.

It's a bit more work, yes; but knowing how to install and configure your environment is great -- and useful.

The first time, you'll need maybe half a day or a day to configure those. But, at least, you'll know how to do so.

And the next times, things will be far more easy, and you'll need less time.

Else, you might want to take a look at Zend Server -- which is another package that bundles Apache + PHP + MySQL.

Or, as an alternative, don't use Windows.

If your production servers are running Linux, why not run Linux on your development machine?

And if you don't want to (or cannot) install Linux on your computer, use a Virtual Machine.

Solution 2

After years of using XAMPP finally I've given up, and started looking for alternatives. XAMPP has not received any updates for quite a while and it kept breaking down once every two weeks.

The one I've just found and I could absolutely recommend is The Uniform Server

It's really frequently updated, has much more emphasis on security and looks like a much more mature project compared to XAMPP.

They have a wiki where they list all the latest versions of packages. As the time of writing, their newest release is only 4 days old!

Versions in Uniform Server as of today:

• Apache 2.4.2
• MySQL 5.5.23-community
• PHP 5.4.1
• phpMyAdmin 3.5.0

Versions in XAMPP as of today:

• Apache 2.2.21
• MySQL 5.5.16
• PHP 5.3.8
• phpMyAdmin 3.4.5

Solution 3

EasyPHP is very good :

• lightweight & portable : no windows service (like wamp)
• easy to configure (all configuration files in the same folder : httpd.conf, php.ini & my.ini)
• auto restarts apache when you edit httpd.conf

WAMP or UWAMP are good choices if you need to test with multiples versions of PHP and Apache.

But you can also use multiple versions of PHP with EasyPHP (by downloading the PHP version you need on php.net, and loading this version by editing httpd.conf) :

LoadModule php4_module "${path}/php4/php4apache2_2.dll"

Solution 4

I won't make such a big deal from this question.
It's not like choosing your new wife or car.
I'd never run any of these on a production server, so, to run just some quick tests any of them are equally good.

Solution 5

I'm using EasyPHP in making my Thesis about Content Management System. So far, this tool is very good and easy to use.

View more solutions

Comments

[Michael J.V.]

I remember when I last used XAMPP - I was annoyed by searching for Apache settings to the point where I gave up, uninstalled XAMPP and used standalone packages to set everything up. It took me about 40 minutes to set up my own development environment vs 1 hour of digging trough .conf, .cnf and .ini files (at which point I found settings that surprised me and that I wanted changed). So you get more control over configuring your own setup over "fixing" someone else's.

[CoR]

Great question! If it were not for you it would take me much more time to find and try UniformServer of UwAmp. Both are far better than wamp/xampp... Thank you.

[Dejan Marjanović]

Yup, if he is programmer, then it is not his job to configure server properly. Otherwise he can get easily hacked, DoSed, and what not...

[Chuck Le Butt]

I hope nobody posts on a forum like this asking for advice on who to pick for a new wife(!).

[Chuck Le Butt]

Also, this question is as valid as asking for opinions on an IDE. Sure, it will come down to personal taste, but there's no harm in understanding the general consensus first.

[Your Common Sense]

@Django quite contrary. A professional would use an IDE while he won't use any of these.

[Chuck Le Butt]

Are you sure a professional developer wouldn't use a pre-made stack like this?

[Eric]

Could you please articulate WHY a professional developer would not or should not use a pre-made stack?

[qwerty]

I too would like to know that.

[Fluffeh]

I can see that this was your first answer to a question, so you didn't have the rep to post this as a comment, but in the future, you might want to consider posting this as a comment. Answers are supposed to be a solution to the problem that you are pretty confident will solve the problem.

[iconoclast]

I think it makes more sense for a professional developer (not a sysadmin!) to use a pre-made stack than to use an IDE! I personally prefer running things on a Linux VM with Vagrant, but I see no major problems with a pre-made stack. Especially when you want to dive into development as soon as possible. Save the niggling with details of the VM for later!

[Jon Story]

Note that picking a car for your wife should be taken with significant consideration, however.

[Cees Timmerman]

Real programmers write their own OS.

[Cees Timmerman]

EasyPHP sounds nice, but its homepage is ugly and misspells the "resources" header, destroying my faith in its quality.

[marcovtwout]

At this moment, the latest EasyPHP dev download is already 1,5 years old (and their latest php version is 0,5 years old).

[johnny]

I downloaded from their site and it is PHP 7. I know this is an older question though.