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Getting Started: Environment Setup

Last updated: April 6, 2026 Minimum PHP Version: PHP 7.4+ Status: Stable

Overview

Before writing PHP code, you need PHP installed on your computer. This guide walks you through installation for Windows, Mac, and Linux. We'll also set up a simple web server so you can run PHP scripts.

Windows Installation

  1. Download XAMPP from apachefriends.org
  2. Download the PHP 8.2 version
  3. Run the installer and follow the wizard
  4. Select components: Apache, MySQL, PHP (minimum)
  5. Install to C:\xampp (default location)
  6. After install, open XAMPP Control Panel
  7. Click "Start" next to Apache and MySQL

Test it: - Create C:\xampp\htdocs\test.php - Add content: 

<?php
echo "Hello, PHP!";
?>
- Visit http://localhost/test.php in your browser - You should see: Hello, PHP!

Option 2: Windows PHP Standalone

  1. Download PHP from php.net
  2. Choose the "Windows Downloads" → "Thread Safe" version
  3. Extract to C:\php
  4. Add C:\php to your system PATH
  5. Open Command Prompt and verify: 
    php --version

Option 3: Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

If you're comfortable with Linux:

# Install WSL2 first, then in WSL terminal:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install php php-cli php-mysql
php --version

Mac Installation

# Install Homebrew if you don't have it
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install PHP
brew install php

# Verify
php --version

Option 2: Using MAMP

  1. Download MAMP for Mac
  2. Install to Applications
  3. Launch MAMP
  4. Click "Start Servers"
  5. Create files in MAMP/htdocs/

Option 3: Docker

docker run -p 8000:80 -v /path/to/files:/var/www/html php:8.2-apache

Linux Installation

Ubuntu/Debian

# Update package list
sudo apt update

# Install PHP and Apache
sudo apt install php apache2

# Enable PHP module
sudo a2enmod php8.2

# Restart Apache
sudo systemctl restart apache2

# Verify
php --version

Fedora/RHEL

# Install PHP
sudo dnf install php php-common php-fpm

# Verify
php --version

Start a Development Server

Once installed, start the built-in PHP server:

# Navigate to your project directory
cd ~/my-project

# Start server on port 8000
php -S localhost:8000

# Visit http://localhost:8000 in browser

Testing Your Installation

Create a file phpinfo.php:

<?php
phpinfo();
?>

Put it in your web root (htdocs, public_html, or current directory) and visit it in your browser. You should see detailed PHP configuration information.

Text Editors / IDEs

Choose one: - VS Code (free, lightweight) + PHP Intelephense extension - PhpStorm (paid, full-featured) - Sublime Text (free, very fast) - Vim/Nano (terminal-based, powerful)

For This Guide

We recommend VS Code + XAMPP: 1. Install XAMPP for local server 2. Install VS Code from code.visualstudio.com 3. Install "PHP Intelephense" extension in VS Code 4. Create files in C:\xampp\htdocs\

Troubleshooting

Port 80/8000 already in use? 

# Use different port
php -S localhost:8001

Can't find PHP command? - Windows: Verify PATH environment variable - Mac/Linux: Try /usr/local/bin/php --version

Apache won't start in XAMPP? - Port 80 conflict - change port in XAMPP config - Run as Administrator on Windows

Permission denied errors on Mac/Linux? 

# Make files readable
chmod 755 filename.php

Next Steps

  1. ✅ PHP installed and running
  2. ⏳ Your First Script - Write PHP code
  3. ⏳ Continue with Basics: Variables

See Also

Once installed, move to Your First Script!