Result when server is stoped sudo apachectl -k stop will be: Apache server is not running Result when server is running sudo apachectl -k stop will be: tcp46 0 0.https. LISTEN tcp46 0 0.http. LISTEN In this example I have two servers running, one with https and another with http. The new macOS Catalina comes with Apache pre-installed. All we have to do is switch it on. Open Terminal using macOS Spotlight or go to /Applications/Utilities and open Terminal. To check the version of Apache installed run the following command in the Terminal. $ httpd -v Server version: Apache/2.4.41 (Unix) Server built: Aug 29 2019. Apache HTTP Server 2.4.46 (httpd): 2.4.46 is the latest available version 2020-08-07.
macOS Update: While these instructions still work, there are new posts for recent versions of macOS, the latest being Install Apache, PHP, and MySQL on macOS Mojave.
The MAMP package includes the Apache web server, PHP engine, and MySQL database. Mac OS X 10.5 and later include the MySQL database and Apache server with PHP support. While it certainly is possible to configure the built-in database and server with the IDE, MAMP’s all-in-one bundle provides a convenient and easily configurable solution. Click on the link above to download Apache Directory Studio for macOS. The download appeares in the Downloads folder in Finder. Double-click on the disk image to open it. Drag-and-drop the Apache Directory Studio application on the Applications folder to install it.
I have installed Apache, PHP, and MySQL on Mac OS X since Leopard. Each time doing so by hand. Each version of Mac OS X having some minor difference. This post serves as much for my own record as to outline how to install Apache, MySQL, and PHP for a local development environment on Mac OS X Mountain Lion Mavericks.
I am aware of the several packages available, notably MAMP. These packages help get you started quickly. But they forego the learning experience and, as most developers report, eventually break. Personally, the choice to do it myself has proven invaluable.
It is important to remember Mac OS X runs atop UNIX. So all of these technologies install easily on Mac OS X. Furthermore, Apache and PHP are included by default. In the end, you only install MySQL then simply turn everything on.
First, open Terminal and switch to
root
to avoid permission issues while running these commands.Enable Apache on Mac OS X
Note: Prior to Mountain Lion this was an option for Web Sharing in System Prefrences → Sharing.
Verify It works! by accessing http://localhost
Enable PHP for Apache
OS X Mavericks Update: You will need to rerun the steps in this section after upgrading an existing install to Mac OS X Mavericks.
First, make a backup of the default Apache configuration. This is good practice and serves as a comparison against future versions of Mac OS X.
Now edit the Apache configuration. Feel free to use TextEdit if you are not familiar with vi.
Uncomment the following line (remove
#
):Restart Apache:
Install MySQL
- Download the MySQL DMG for Mac OS X
- Install MySQL
- Install Preference Pane
- Open System Preferences → MySQL
- Ensure the MySQL Server is running
- Optionally, you can enable MySQL to start automatically. I do.
The README also suggests creating aliases for
mysql
and mysqladmin
. However there are other commands that are helpful such as mysqldump
. Instead, I updated my path to include /usr/local/mysql/bin
.Note: You will need to open a new Terminal window or run the command above for your path to update.
I also run
mysql_secure_installation
. While this isn't necessary, it's good practice.Connect PHP and MySQL
You need to ensure PHP and MySQL can communicate with one another. There are several options to do so. I do the following:
Creating VirtualHosts
You could stop here. PHP, MySQL, and Apache are all running. However, all of your sites would have URLs like http://localhost/somesite/ pointing to /Library/WebServer/Documents/somesite. Not ideal for a local development environment.
OS X Mavericks Update: You will need to rerun the steps below to uncomment the vhost
Include
after upgrading an existing install to Mac OS X Mavericks.To run sites individually you need to enable VirtualHosts. To do so, we'll edit the Apache Configuration again.
Uncomment the following line:
Now Apache will load httpd-vhosts.conf. Let's edit this file.
Here is an example of VirtualHosts I've created.
The first
VirtualHost
points to /Library/WebServer/Documents
. The first VirtualHost
is important as it behaves like the default Apache configuration and used when no others match.The second
VirtualHost
points to my dev workspace and I can access it directly from http://jason.local. For ease of development, I also configured some custom logs.Note: I use the extension local. This avoids conflicts with any real extensions and serves as a reminder I'm in my local environment.
Restart Apache:
In order to access http://jason.local, you need to edit your hosts file.
Add the following line to the bottom:
Download Apache Mac
I run the following to clear the local DNS cache:
Now you can access http://jason.local.
Note: You will need to create a new
VirtualHost
and edit your hosts file each time you make a new local site.A note about permissions
You may receive 403 Forbidden when you visit your local site. This is likely a permissions issue. Simply put, the Apache user (
_www
) needs to have access to read, and sometimes write, your web directory.Apache Server For Macos
If you are not familiar with permissions, read more. For now though, the easiest thing to do is ensure your web directory has permissions of
755
. You can change permissions with the command:In my case, all my files were under my local
~/Documents
directory. Which by default is only readable by me. So I had to change permissions for my web directory all the way up to ~/Documents
to resolve the 403 Forbidden issue.Note: There are many ways to solve permission issues. I have provided this as the easiest solution, not the best.
Install PHPMyAdmin
Apache Http Server For Mac
Unless you want to administer MySQL from the command line, I recommend installing PHPMyAdmin. I won't go into the details. Read the installation guide for more information. I install utility applications in the default directory. That way I can access them under, in this case, http://localhost/phpmyadmin.
Closing
A local development environment is a mandatory part of the Software Development Process. Given the ease at which you can install Apache, PHP, and MySQL on Mac OS X there really is no excuse.
Find this interesting? Let's continue the conversation on Twitter.
Use the links below to download the Apache HTTP Server from one of ourmirrors. You mustverify the integrity of the downloadedfiles using signatures downloaded from our main distribution directory.The signatures can be verified with ourKEYS file.
Only current recommended releases are available on the main distributionsite and its mirrors. Historical releases, including the 1.3, 2.0 and 2.2families of releases, are available from the archive download site.
Apache httpd for Microsoft Windows is available froma number of third party vendors.
Stable Release - Latest Version:
- 2.4.46 (released 2020-08-07)
If you are downloading the Win32 distribution, please read these importantnotes.
The currently selected mirror ishttp://mirror.ox.ac.uk/sites/rsync.apache.org/. If you encounter a problem with this mirror, please selectanother mirror. If all mirrors are failing, there are backup mirrors (atthe end of the mirrors list) that should be available.You may also consult the complete list ofmirrors.
The Apache HTTP Server Project is pleased toannounce therelease of version 2.4.46 of the Apache HTTP Server ('Apache' and 'httpd').This version of Apache is our latest GA release of the new generation 2.4.xbranch of Apache HTTPD and represents fifteen years of innovation by theproject, and is recommended over all previous releases!
For details, see the OfficialAnnouncement andthe CHANGES_2.4 andCHANGES_2.4.46 lists.
- Source: httpd-2.4.46.tar.bz2[ PGP ] [SHA256 ]
- Source: httpd-2.4.46.tar.gz [PGP ] [SHA256 ]
The Apache Software Foundation and the Apache HTTP Server Project arepleased to announce the release of version 2.3.9 of mod_fcgid, a FastCGIimplementation for Apache HTTP Server versions 2.2 and 2.4. Thisversion of mod_fcgid is a security release.
For information about this module subproject, see the mod_fcgid moduleproject page.
- Source as gzip with LF line endings:mod_fcgid-2.3.9.tar.gz[PGP] [MD5] [SHA1]
- Source as bz2 with LF line endings:mod_fcgid-2.3.9.tar.bz2[PGP] [MD5] [SHA1]
- Win32, Netware or OS/2 Source with CR/LF line endings:mod_fcgid-2.3.9-crlf.zip[PGP] [MD5] [SHA1]
The Apache HTTP Server Project is pleased to announce the release of ApacheFTP module for Apache HTTP Server, version 0.9.6 as beta.
Users are encouraged to test and provide feedback on this beta release. Forinformation about this module subproject, see the mod_ftp module projectpage.
- Source with LF line endings (bzip2 compressed):mod_ftp-0.9.6-beta.tar.bz2[PGP] [SHA1] [MD5]
- Source with LF line endings (gzip compressed):mod_ftp-0.9.6-beta.tar.gz[PGP] [SHA1] [MD5]
- Win32, Netware or OS/2 Source with CR/LF line endings:mod_ftp-0.9.6-beta-crlf.zip[PGP] [SHA1] [MD5]
It is essential that you verify the integrity of the downloaded files usingthe PGP or SHA signatures. Please read Verifying Apache HTTP ServerReleases for more information on why you shouldverify our releases and how to do it.