Setting up a WAMP Stack on Windows Server
If you wish to use a WAMP stack (Apache, MySQL, and PHP) on your Windows Server, you must download and install WampServer. WampServer is a software bundle that provides Windows Server users with everything they need to run a WAMP stack on Windows.
Deploying a WAMP stack on Windows Server is crucial if you plan to use your system to host websites, databases, and PHP applications. This guide will show you how to download and set up a WAMP stack on Windows Server.
Downloading WampServer
WampServer is hosted on the official WampServer SourceForge. To download it, head to the download page. Once you are there, grab either the 32-bit version of the installer EXE or the 64-bit version.
Alternatively, if you’re a fan of the command line, you can use PowerShell and download the WampServer EXE directly to your system without visiting the website. When entered correctly, these commands will download WampServer to the “Downloads” directory.
$wampUrl = "https://versaweb.dl.sourceforge.net/project/wampserver/WampServer%203/WampServer%203.0.0/wampserver3.3.0_x64.exe"
$downloadsDirectory = [Environment]::GetFolderPath("UserProfile") + "\Downloads"
$installerPath = Join-Path $downloadsDirectory "wampserver.exe"
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $wampUrl -OutFile $installerPath
Once the WampServer EXE file is downloaded to your Windows Server system, open up the Windows Explorer app. Then, with it open, navigate to the “Downloads” folder where the file is.
How to set up WampServer on Windows Server
To set up WampServer on your Windows Server, you must go through the GUI installer wizard. To start it, double-click on the WampServer installer EXE to begin the setup process.
Once the WampServer installer EXE is open, you will be asked to choose a setup language. In the installer, select the appropriate language. Then, click the “OK” button to move to the next page in the installer.
After selecting the correct language in the installer, the WampServer installation wizard will present you with a “License Agreement”. Read it using the built-in text browser. Then, when you’ve finished reading everything, select the “I accept the agreement” button, and click “Next” to continue.
Upon agreeing to the agreement, the WampServer installer will give you an overview of everything that is needed to run the software. Specifically, you must have VC9 through VC15, as well as VS16, and many other things. The WampServer installer has links to everything you need on this page.
When you’ve confirmed you have everything needed to run WampServer installed on your Windows Server system, click the “Next” button to move to the next page in the installer.
On the next page, the WampServer setup tool will ask you to choose where it will be installed. By default, Wampserver will install to the “wamp64” directory. However, you can change the default directory by clicking the “Browse” button. Select the “Next” button to continue to the next page.
Following selecting where the Wampserver software will be installed, you’ll be asked to select components. By default, the following items are selected: Apache 2.4, Php 8/8.1/8.2, MariaDB 10.10.2, MySQL 8.0, PhpMyAdmin, Adminer, and PhpSysInfo. These defaults are more than adequate to run web applications on your Windows Server. However, if you wish to customize the components, change “Default installation” to “Custom installation,” and set your options. Click “Next” when done to move to the next page.
Following selecting your components, the Wampserver installation tool will show you an overview of everything it is going to do on your Windows Server, including what components it will install, where the files will go, what type of installation, etc. Read this overview, then, select the “Install” button to continue.
When you select the “Install” button, the Wampserver installation tool will set up Apache 2.4, Php 8/8.1/8.2, MariaDB 10.10.2, MySQL 8.0, PhpMyAdmin, Adminer, and PhpSysInfo on your Windows Server system. This process will take a few seconds to complete.
You’ll now be asked to configure Wampserver to use a browser. By default, Wampserver will attempt to configure your server with Microsoft Edge. If you are ok using Edge, select “No.” Otherwise, click the “Yes” option and choose the browser that suits your needs on your Windows Server.
After choosing the default browser, Wampserver needs to select the default Text Editor on Windows Server. By default, it will select “Notepad.” If you prefer to use a different text editor, click “Yes” and choose your preferred editor.
With your browser and text editor chosen, Wampserver will show you an explanation of how to use the Wampserver software. Read this information, and click the “Next” button when done to continue.
Upon reading the Wampserver information the installer provides, the installation tool will close. To run your Wampserver on Windows Server, simply double-click on the “Wampserver64” shortcut on the desktop, and it will launch Apache, Php, MariaDB, MySQL, etc.
