Creating a website is a process that starts from creating the design then proceeding to the development. The process ends by publishing the website online. Dynamic websites are preferably written in PHP as it is a very secure and flexible scripting language. However, the use of this language requires setting up a particular environment in order to test the scripts, and why not use the machine as a local web host. There are two development environments which indeed have the ability to nest the PHP modules: the WAMP package and the XAMPP package. These two packages seem to serve the same tasks, yet they are some differences.

Introducing the WAMP package:

The term WAMP is the abbreviation of the phrase Windows Apache MySQL PHP. It designates the environment created under Windows that allows developing and running PHP scripts. It allows the computer to work as a web server. This version of AMP is designed to inherit the properties of the Windows OS and also it will inherit the weakness of this operating system.

Introducing the XAMPP package:

The XAMPP stands for the package Apache MySQL (may be replaced by MariaDB) Perl PHP destined for the perhaps all operating systems. In other words, it can be installed on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux platforms. It is not a cross-platform package but it includes all necessary modules for each platform.

Comparing WAMP and XAMPP packages:

The two packages are used to develop dynamic websites. They can be used to test the developed scripts. They can be configured to be local web hosts. To know which fits your needs, the following lines would compare the most used features.

Development performance:

The WAMP interface comes with a few features. It adapts to the beginner level. It is characterised by a better stability. XAMPP has Perl in more and the interface is displays more features. It is designed to fulfil the advanced needs. As it contains perhaps all the packages required to run on all platforms, it can be less stable when installed due to eventual interference.

Database management:

Both packages allow database management using the MySQL scripts. However, the use of Perl may add another feature for the XAMPP server. The use of Perl scripting constitutes an advanced feature to use if the users need to enhance the security level of their website. The use of MariaDB has changed the database management and in this case, the XAMPP can be a little difficult to use since it is a relatively new database handler.

Local web host performance:

The use of either WAMP or XAMPP for setting a local web  service produces the same results if the developed website requires few modules to run. If the website scripts are more complex and require several plugins to work properly, XAMPP stands for a better option.

Conclusion:

The WAMP and the XAMPP packages are definitely designed to fulfil distinct expectations. For beginners and advanced developers, the use of the one or the other depends on the mastery level of the development field. However, the use of the full package (XAMPP) instead of the simple package (WAMP) may somehow reduce the performance of a freelance web designer Singapore.