Apache and PHP on a Mac

i'm also using MAMP as a testing ground.
it works just perfect and couldn't be easier to set up.

I've written an article for Securing MAMP on my site check it out.

http://machinaproject.dyndns.org/2006/02/19/how-to-secure-mamp/

As much as I love tinkering with UNIX, what I don't like about Apple's built in Apache is how--with every update--the preferences revert to default preferences. It's tough enough to be a web developer without having to deal with stuff like that.

Instead--and as others have recommended--I highly recommend using MAMP as a development and serving platform. It comes with the lastest version of Apache and has PHP and MySQL built in. It even has phpMyAdmin already set. Simply download it, launch it and you have an instant setup.

I used to use the Entropy packages, but MAMP suits all of my needs.

As long as we're geeking on Apache/PHP development on Mas, does anyone have a reliable way to activate Apache's mod_rewrite for the MacOS X's installation of Apache? I use that in a lot of the stuff I develop, but I have to use workarounds when on the Mac because I can't figure out how to enable it. (I'm using MacOS X 10.3.9, for what it's worth)

And another vote for Marc Liyange's binary distribution PHP package; not only is it easy-peasy to use, it includes the GD graphics library, which is a bonus for graphically-oriented web development.

--R.J.

sorry. i missed the url instructions. here they are:

step 1 - php and mysql : http://allforces.com/2005/08/22/wordpress-on-mac-phpandmysql/
step 2 - subdomains : http://allforces.com/2005/08/23/wordpress-on-mac-subdomains/

this All Forces tutorial on WordPress on Mac covers installation of PHP and MySQL. Part 2 covers setting up local sub-domains.

Last February, Ward Mundy at Nerd Vittles did a great series "how to" about setting up an "ISP in a Box" with the box being a Mac Mini. Still worth reading.
http://mundy.org/blog/index.php?p=23

One reason people commonly install Apache + PHP on their Macs is to test and develop websites on which they're working. To ensure absolute paths work properly as they would on a production server, virtual hosting needs to be employed. I have created a shell script that makes it easy to add as many virtual hosts as you want to your computer. Note that this script is intended for Apache 1.3.x:

http://patrickg.com/virtualhost

One other thing: PHP isn't just an Apache Plugin. It's also a stand-alone CGI (the Entropy version comes with it, available at /usr/local/php5/bin/php . What's cool about this is you can call this to run non-web scripts just like you would with Perl or Python or Ruby.

There's even a couple of apps that will let you attach user interfaces to your PHP scripts: Platypus (http://sveinbjorn.sytes.net/platypus) and Pashua (http://www.bluem.net/downloads/pashua_en/). I've had a blast with these.

Yes, the Entropy installer is really great. I haven't used MAMP, and I don't really care what I do to my OS configuration :)