I'm trying to run MediaWiki locally on Windows, but MAMP's Apache server starts briefly and then shuts down whenever I select PHP 8 or newer. MySQL continues running normally. The Apache error log only shows warnings about an overwritten PID file, an unconfigured SSL session cache, and missing heartbeat slot memory. PHP 7.4 works without this problem, but the current MediaWiki release requires PHP 8.3 or newer. What would be the most practical way to get a local MediaWiki installation running? I already have Docker Desktop available, as well as a virtual machine that runs Docker, but I'd prefer a simpler setup if possible.
3 Answers
Docker is also a straightforward option since you already have it installed. You can run the official MediaWiki image with a persistent volume for its data, open the installer at localhost, choose SQLite, and then copy the generated LocalSettings.php file into the container. For example: `docker run --name wiki -p 8080:80 -v wiki-data:/var/www/data -d mediawiki`
The messages shown in the Apache log are mostly warnings and probably aren’t the actual startup failure. A port conflict, stale PID file, or another Apache configuration problem is more likely. Run `C:MAMPbinapachebinhttpd.exe -t` from Command Prompt to validate the configuration and display the real error. You can also check whether another program is already using ports 80 or 443.
Laragon is probably the simplest replacement for MAMP on Windows. It handles Apache, PHP versions, and local projects with much less manual configuration, and it should let you switch to a PHP version compatible with MediaWiki.
That works, but Laragon may be more convenient on Windows if you want to avoid container networking, volume mounts, and path-mapping issues.