Linux

What is LAMP Stack?

October 1, 2021 comments off

What is Stack?

  • The term stack(derived from “solution stack”) refers to a collection of different software programs that “stack” together to create a plateform necesary to support application software.
  • These independent subsystems work together to make up a fully functional environment so that no additional software is needed for an application to work.

What is LAMP Stack?

  • LAMP stack is a set of opensource software used for web application development.
  • For a web application to work smoothly,it has to include an operating system, a web server, a database, and a programming language.
  • The name LAMP is an acronym of the following programs:
    • Linux Operating System
    • Apache HTTP Web Server
    • MySQL/MariaDB database management system
    • PHP programming language

Linux Operating System

  • Linux is the operating system layer and the backbone of the LAMP stack.
  • All the other components of the stack run on top of this foundation.
  • You can efficiently manage the rest of the stack components on different operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and others.
  • However,Linux is more popular for web development not just because it is open-source, but also due to its flexibility,customization and easy to use technology.

Apache Web Server

  • Apache HTTP Server is a web server software that runs on top of the Linux operating system.
  • It is the most widely used server,powering more than half of the websites on the internet.The role of the web server is to process requests and transmit information through the internet, using HTTP.

PHP(Progrmming Language)

  • PHP(Hypertext Preprocessor) is a programming language which has the role of combing all the elements of the LAMP stack and allowing the websit or web application to run efficiently.
  • It is commonly used for web development because it is a dynamically typed language, making it fast and easy to work with. This feature may be especially appealing if you are a beginner.The reason why PHP is so convenient to use is that it can be embedded into HTML enabling to jump in and out of it as you wish.

MYSQL/MariaDB

  • MYSQL earned its reputation as an acclaimed database system as it supports SQL and relational tables.By doing so,it makes it much easier to establish dynamic enterprise-level databases.
  • Another relational database management system that can be part of the LAMP platform is MariaDB.Both are qute similar, and MariaDB claims to be completely compatible with MySQL, allowing users to transfer their database without any complications or losses.

Why LAMP?

  • The LAMP stack consists of four(4) components,all of which are examples of Free and Open-Source Software(Foss).As they are free and available for download, it attracts the attention of many users who wish to avoid paying large sums of money when developing thair website.
  • Because it is FOSS, the source code of the software is shared and available for people to make changes and improvements,enhancing its overall performance.
  • The LAMPP stack has proven to be a secure and stable plateform thanks to its vast community that contributes when any problems arise.
  • What makes it so attractive is that you can easily customize the stack and interchange the components with other open source software to suit your needs.

LAMP stack Alternatives

open source alternative are:

  • LEMP(Linux, NGINX, MySQL/MariaDB), PHP/Perl/Python)
  • LAPP(Linux, Apache, PostgreSQL, PHP)
  • LEAP(Linux, Eucalyptus, AppScale, Python)
  • LLMP(Linux, Lighttpd, MySQL/MariaDB, PHP/Perl/Python)

While non-open source alternatives include:

  • WAWP(Windows, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB, PHP/Perl/Python)
  • WIMP(Windows,Internet Information Services, MySQL/MariaDB,PHP/Perl/Python)
  • MAMP(Mac OS x, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB, PHP/Perl/Python)

Amardeep Dubey
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