There are many ways to combine technologies to create a tech stack. One such stack is called the Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP (LAMP) stack. For the last decade, using the Linux operating system, Apache Web Server, MySQL, and PHP has been a popular way to construct web apps. This article aims to talk about each of the technologies and whether or not the LAMP development is still relevant today.
One of the main characteristics of the LAMP stack is its constituent parts are part of open-source web development. Open source, as a reminder, is the idea that anyone has access to a software, can make a copy of it, study it, etc. The LAMP stack is known for this characteristic and has become a generic term for a stack that uses open-source technology.
Other possible technologies might be used in exchange for the traditional ones are MariaDB, MongoDB, Python, Perl. Sometimes, the Linux kernel is replaced with Windows or Mac operating systems.
How to Get Started
Linux
To get started, download the Linux kernel. Career Karma author James Gallagher has written a great guide to get started with Linux – it’s definitely recommended to get started here if you have never worked with Linux before. James gives a great overview on how to get started, and what Linux is used for.
Next, learn how to use the command line: change directories, move files or folders, create a directory, etc. Check out this article to get started using the Linux command line.
Apache Web Server
According to the Apache Web Server Docs, “the Apache HTTP Server Project is a collaborative software development effort aimed at creating a robust, commercial-grade, featureful, and freely-available source code implementation of an HTTP (Web) server.” The program is maintained by many volunteers from all around the world. Here is their “Getting Started” page to assist in diving into Apache.
MySQL
MySQL is one of many popular relational database management systems that use SQL to query databases. A high-level query is an action performed on a database. We use queries to create, read, update, or delete entries to a row or table. If you want more information about what a relational database is, check out this article on the topic.
Dedicated MySQL documentation about the latest release is located here. It has a lot of information about how to use MySQL in your application. The biggest thing to remember is that not all relational databases use SQL in the same way – so an SQL statement that works on one database may not work in MySQL. Always read the documentation if you have a question on how a statement or clause is constructed.
PHP
PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor and is the final technology in the LAMP Stack. It is one of the more popular programming languages seen in applications today. WordPress and other content management systems use PHP as the basis for their codebase – if you have a WordPress site, the easiest way to mod it is to learn the LAMP stack. Here is a great article on how to get started with PHP. It goes over what PHP is, how to get started, concepts you should become familiar with, and suggested tutorials.
Final Thoughts
The LAMP Stack is one of the most popular software stacks out there. The concept is worthy of getting to know and will help you land a job working on existing web applications!
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