The abbreviation "MAMP" stands for: Macintosh, Apache, MySQL and PHP. The OS X software application "MAMP" will quickly install the whole stack and provide a GUI for management.
The abbreviation "MAMP" stands for: Macintosh, Apache, MySQL and PHP.
MAMP installs a local web server environment suitable for running applications developed in the PHP programming language and using the MySQL database. The MAMP control panel includes the option to select between several supported versions of PHP.
The bundled PHP installations include:
- common PHP extensions such as gd, jpeg, and XML support
- the phpMyAdmin web interface for viewing and managing MySQL databases
- precompiled PHP Accelerators such as APC, eAccelerator, and XCache
There are several versions of MAMP:
MAMP Stack by BitNami is a free, fully featured version for setting a local development environment. It includes a control panel and it has freely available modules for adding WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal and dozens of other applications. It is also available for free in the Mac OS X app store
MAMP is a free version primarily intended for setting up a personal web server or development environment. It includes a basic control panel for starting and stopping the Apache and MySQL servers, but more advanced configuration changes will require editing configuration files directly.
MAMP PRO is a commercial version of MAMP which includes additional administrative UI features such as the ability to enable/disable Apache modules and edit configuration files via the MAMP control panel.
Both MAMP versions are included in the same installer, however MAMP PRO is a trial version and will require a commercial license for continued usage. For a feature comparison, see: MAMP vs MAMP PRO.
MAMP is installed in the typical Mac fashion: very easily. MAMP will not compromise any existing Apache installation already running with your OS X. You can install Apache, PHP and MySQL without starting a script or having to change any configuration files!
Furthermore, if MAMP is no longer needed, it is sufficient to delete the MAMP folder and everything returns to its original state (i.e. MAMP does not modify any of the "normal" OS X files).
Additional Resources:
- BitNami MAMP website
- MAMP in the Mac OS X App Store
- Download MAMP
- MAMP vs MAMP PRO feature comparison
- MAMP documentation
- Related tags on StackOverflow: apache mysql php
