I used XAMPP on Windows 10 to test websites locally. After moving to Linux, I was unsure whether XAMPP is available and mistakenly thought Apache might not work on Linux. Should I install Apache and its related components separately, use XAMPP for Linux, or try an alternative such as Nginx? I have also heard that tools like Devilbox can work with Docker, although I have not learned Docker yet. What setup do you recommend for local development?
5 Answers
Apache works very well on Linux—there are huge numbers of Linux servers running it. You can install Apache directly from your distribution’s package manager, then add PHP, MariaDB or MySQL, and any other tools your projects need.
There is a Linux version of XAMPP if you want to keep the same workflow. It can be easier for beginners because the configuration is mostly handled for you, although native packages generally integrate better with the rest of the system.
You do not need Docker or a heavyweight bundle for a modest development machine. A small script can start and stop Apache, the database, Redis, and other services only when needed, keeping the system tidy and reducing background resource usage.
Nginx is another popular web server and has plenty of documentation, but it is not required just because you are using Linux. For simple local testing, Apache is perfectly capable; Docker-based tools such as Devilbox are more useful when you want isolated, repeatable development environments.
XAMPP is mainly a convenient bundle and setup tool. On Linux, the same components are available natively, so installing them individually is usually the more natural approach. You can also configure the services not to start automatically, which saves resources when you are not developing.
Installing XAMPP for Linux is still a valid choice if you prefer an all-in-one installer and a graphical switch for starting and stopping the services.