Before my friend introduced me to MAMP (Mac + Apache + MySQL + PHP), I wasn’t really able to do much web producing commuting to work. I was limited to making site mockups using Adobe Photoshop CS2 and some basic coding, but I couldn’t actually make the pages until I had internet connection so I could upload my test site to the sandbox.

Then came along MAMP, an all-in-one application for Mac OS X that allows you to locally host a web server! This was fantastic because now I can develop, hard code, check changes, and make all the changes I want without having an internet connection. It also lets me test run PHP codes or scripts that may be unstable and vulnerable without risking the web server.

How To Install

Installing and configuring MAMP is very, very easy.

1. Download the latest copy of MAMP from the MAMP website. After it is done downloading, double click the downloaded file to unzip the contents.
2. Drag the MAMP folder into the Applications folder.
   
3. Once MAMP has completed copying into the Applications folder, you can find the executable at Applications>MAMP>MAMP.
   
4. When you start it up, you’ll notice two things will appear: (1) the MAMP admin panel and (2) http://localhost:8888/MAMP/?language=English loaded into your default web browser.
5. From the admin panel you can stop and start the Apache and MySQL servers.
   
6. Your default web url is http://localhost:8888/ and your public folder is located (by default) at Applications>MAMP>htdocs. So anything that is placed within the htdocs folder will appear at http://localhost:8888/. Please note that this web address is local only and others will not be able to see it or the contents even if your computer is connected to the internet. I’ve seen where some people have mistakingly thought that MAMP can be used as a live web server. No, this was only designed to allow people to work locally.
7. To change the default location of what folder will be the web folder, in MAMP, go to the menu bar and select Preferences and then select the Apache tab. Enter or select a new location.