For web development, the bare minimum you need access to is AMP:

1. Apache server
2. MySQL database
3. PHP programming language

You can install these as a collection on your computer locally using various OS-specific installations:

1. Windows: WAMP
2. Mac: MAMP
3. Linux: LAMP
4. Cross-platform: XAMPP

Or, if you prefer an auto-installer, Bitnami is an excellent option. (And Softaculous also looks promising.)

Wikipedia also lists plenty of other Apache, MySQL, and PHP bundles if you’re interested in checking out any of the other ones, but in this post, I’ve taken screenshots of each major offering for you to compare:

#1. WAMP

#2. MAMP

#3. LAMP

As the above picture indicates, if you want a straight up LAMP installation, you’ll likely be doing it all piece-by-piece – or through your Linux distribution’s get or yum installers. But if you’re a Linux user, you’re probably already comfortable with that kind of thing. Here are instructions for installing LAMP on various Linux distributions (source: Wikipedia):

• Install LAMP on Ubuntu
• Install LAMP on Debian GNU
• Install LAMP on SUSE
• Install LAMP on Fedora
• Install LAMP on CentOS
• Install LAMP on FRITZ!Box
• Install LAMP from source code

#4. XAMPP

#5. AMPPS

#6. Bitnami

I’ve personally used WAMP, MAMP, and XAMPP and none has really been disappointing.

• XAMPP is slightly more complicated and has more features (but that’s to be expected because it’s a Linux program as well).
• WAMP is a good and simple option for Windows – I’ve used it with my high school students.
• MAMP is a clean and simple option for Mac and I’ve used it exclusively on Mac before.
• MAMP PRO is also a good option if you’re willing to pay a little bit because it allows multiple WordPress installations on the same localhost.

However, recently, I’ve been using Bitnami quite a bit on the recommendation of Morten Rand-Hendriksen, from Lynda.com, and I’ve quite enjoyed it. It’s very easy to download and install and the Server Manager program is very clean and well designed. It’s a simple one-click START or STOP for your servers and a one-click ACCESS SITE to go to your localhost install right from the Manager.

Which installation do you prefer? Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

_{This post has been modified slightly from my original post on aaronsnowberger.com}