A web server is very important component if you are on Linux an importantly if you are web developer. You can install Apache, MySQL and PhP as separate component on Linux and then configure them. However, if you are just getting started and wished there was an all-in-one package to install LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL and PhP) on your Ubuntu machine and that you could avoid all the hassles of configuring each package separately, then you are reading the right post. XAMPP for Linux avoids all the issues of installing separate components of LAMP and makes it easy for you to get started with your web development on Linux.

XAMPP is an easy to install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl. XAMPP is really very easy to install and to use – just download, extract and start.

Let’s see how to install XAMPP.

Installing XAMPP

1. Download the latest version of XAMPP for Linux from here.

2. Bring up your run prompt by hitting ALT+F2 and type “gnome-terminal” (without quotes) to bring up terminal window.

3. Type the following to begin the installation:

cd Desktop

sudo tar xvfz xampp-linux-1.7.1.tar.gz -C /opt

This means we are installing XAMPP in /opt directory. If everything goes right you’ll have XAMPP installed.

Starting XAMPP

In order to start XAMPP, type the following in your terminal window

sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start

Test XAMPP Installation

You can test your XAMPP installation by opening firefox and typing localhost in the address bar.

You’ll see the following screen

Select your desired language and you are good to go.

Enjoy the journey of developing great web application with a great LAMP package on your Ubuntu!