Basic Concepts

Servers

A server is a computer that provides services or information to other computers or devices.

Dynamic and static web pages

Static web pages

These are pages that display the same content to all users and do not change unless manually modified by the developer.

Dynamic web pages

Son páginas que muestran contenido diferente según el usuario o la interacción.

Client-side and server-side languages

Client-side

These are languages ​​that run in the user's browser. They are used to make web pages interactive, such as displaying effects or validating forms without having to reload the page.

Server-side

These are languages ​​that run on the server where the website is hosted. They are used to process data, access databases, and generate a page's dynamic content before sending it to the browser.

PHP

It's a language that helps create web pages that can change and display different things each time you visit them. It works on the server (the computer that stores the page) and prepares what you see in your browser.

Apache

It's an open-source web server. Its main function is to display web pages when someone requests them from a browser.

Brief history

It was founded in 1995 as the Apache HTTP Server Project, driven by the developer community and the Apache Software Foundation. It was the most widely used web server for many years.

Installations

It can be installed on Windows, Linux, macOS, etc. It is generally used in conjunction with other components such as PHP and MySQL.

MySQL

It is an open source relational database management system (RDBMS) that organizes information into related tables.

Brief history

Created in 1995 by the Swedish company MySQL AB. In 2008, it was acquired by Sun Microsystems and then by Oracle in 2010.

Distributions

There is the official Oracle version and derivative alternatives such as MariaDB (created by the original founders of MySQL to keep it 100% free).

XAMPP

A package that includes Apache + MySQL (or MariaDB) + PHP + Perl, designed to be easily installed on Windows, Linux, or macOS.

Features

Portable, simple, ideal for beginners or local development.

Advantages

Very easy to install.

Everything comes ready to use.

Disadvantages

Not very secure for production environments (it's designed more for testing/development).

LAMP

Acronym for Linux + Apache + MySQL/MariaDB + PHP/Python/Perl. It is a set of free software that functions as a web server on Linux systems.

Features

Widely used in real-world internet servers.

Advantages

Stability, security, and performance.

Extensive community support.

Disadvantages

More technical and less user-friendly than XAMPP.

Installation of XAMPP

  1. Download: Go to XAMPP and select the appropriate version for your operating system.
  2. Run the installer: Double-click the downloaded file and follow the wizard.
  3. Configure: After installation, open the XAMPP control panel and start the Apache and MySQL modules.
  4. Verify: Open a browser and type localhost to verify that XAMPP is running correctly.