How to Install Wamp on Windows
Introduction to Wamp server installation
Most developers test their projects locally before lauching them. You can build and test your site locally before making it live for the users. This is made possible by using a self hosted server or localhost. There are quite a number, and among them is WAMP SERVER which allows you to use your computer as a virtual server, and Create Your Website and test it locally. It is a popular alternative to XAMPP for Windows. However, you can also use XAMPP, since it only takes a few minutes to install. Some developers prefer WAMP as it is exclusively built for Windows. Despite that, both platforms are equally stable and function the same way. This tutorial will guide you on how to install WAMP on a Windows.
Step 1 : Download Wamp Server
Visit the official wamp website to download the WampServer setup. There are two bit versions available i.e. 64-bits (x64) and 32-bits (x86), your selection depend on your pc’s configuration.
As soon as you click to download, a pop up will appear showing some warnings. Just click on the link “download directly” and proceed with the process.
You can also watch the tutorial.
Step 2: Initiate WAMP Server Installation Process
Soon after clicking on the downloaded file, you’ll need to select your preferred language and click the “Ok” button
Next will be the license agreement. Click on the “I accept the agreement” radio button and then the “Next” button to continue with the installation.
The next window will contain information on all required components that should be present in your system prior to installation, these components aid proper functioning of WampServer. The Purpose of this, is to check for the suitable version of Microsoft VC++ re-distributable package. Once you’ve crosschecked that proceed by clicking ‘Next’.
Step 3: Choose the Installation directory for WAMP
Here, you’ll choose where you want to install WampServer on Windows. By default, it will be installed in the C drive of your system, you can accept the default location and move ahead. But if you want to specify a different directory, click on the browse button and choose your preffered location. Once you’ve made your selection hit on ‘NEXT’.
Click “Next” to accept the default Start Menu folder or choose a custom one.
Select additional tasks (such as creating a desktop icon) and click “Next.”
Review your selections and click “Install” to begin the installation.
Step 4: Configure WAMP Server
During the installation, you will be prompted to choose a default web browser. You can either keep the default (Internet Explorer) To change click on YES or the folder icon to browse and select a different browser (such as Chrome or Firefox) otherwise click ‘NO’.
Click “Open” to confirm your choice.
After selecting the default browser, the Wamp Server will also ask you to select the default Text editor which we need in case we want to edit Apache or PHP config files such as HTTP.config or php.ini. By default, it uses the notepad of Windows, However, if you want to change the Text editor then click on YES and locate your third-party installed text editor.
While completing the installation the setup also provides you login information for your phpMyAdmin; “After Installing Wampserver the default username is “root” without quotes and without password, which means you should leave the Password field empty to login into the phpMyAdmin.
The installation process will continue and complete. Click “Finish” to close the installer.
Step 5: Launch and Test WAMP Server
Locate the WAMP Server icon on your desktop or in the Start Menu and double-click it to launch the application.
You should see the WAMP Server icon in the system tray (bottom right corner of the screen). If it is green, it means all services are running correctly.
To test the WAMP Server, open your web browser and type “http://localhost” in the address bar. You should see the WAMP Server homepage, indicating a successful installation.
Step 6 : Check the Wamp Server Apache
After successful installation, left-click on the system tray and then on the WAMP Server icon. You will find shortcuts to check and use the Localhost, Apache, Your Virtualhost, MySQL, PHPMyAdmin, MariaDB, Stop all services, Start all services, and Reset all services.
To ensure that Apache web server is up and running on your Windows, click on Localhost.
When you click on Localhost a tab will open with a page showing all server configurations in your browser. For reference watch the video
Step 7 : Other important tools and settings
When you right-click on the same WAMP server icon that resides in your system tray, it will open several other options such as About, Refresh, Help, language, WAMP settings, Tool, and Exit. In case you want to change the software language you can choose your local language from the language option. To check which port is using which service of the WAMP server or some other information, go to tools:
Conclusion
By following this guide, you’ll have successfully installed and configured WAMP Server on your Windows. You now have a fully functional local web development environment, which will allow you to create, test, and debug web applications before deploying them to a live server.
