Introduction to LAMP & PHP

Introduction to LAMP

LAMP is an open source Web development platform based on Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP[or Perl/Python]. PHP(short for PHP Hypertext Preprocessor) is a programming language for which Perl or Python is sometimes substituted. The term was coined in Europe, where these programs are commonly used together and have become something of a standard development environment.

The name derives from the first letters of each of the programs. Each program is an open source standard in its own right:

Linux is the operating system; Apache is the most commonly-used Web server; MySQL is a relational database management system (RDBMS) with add-on tools for Web-based administration; and PHP is a popular object-oriented scripting language that encompasses the best features of many other programming languages to make it efficient for Web development.

Developers that use these tools with a version of a Windows operating system instead of Linux are said to be using WAMP.

History of LAMP

The scripting component of the LAMP stack has its origins in the CGI web interfaces that became popular in the early 1990s. This technology allows the user of a web browser to execute a program on the web server, and to thereby receive dynamic as well as static content.

Programmers used scripting languages with these programs because of their ability to manipulate text streams easily and efficiently, even when they originate from disparate sources. For this reason system designers often referred to such scripting systems as glue languages.

Michael Kunze coined the acronym LAMP in an article for the German computing magazine c't in 1998. The article aimed to show that a bundle of free software could provide a viable alternative to commercial packages. Knowing about the IT-world's love of acronyms, Kunze came up with LAMP as a marketing-like term to increase the popularity of free software.

O'Reilly and MySQL AB have made the term popular among English-speakers. Indeed, MySQL AB has since based some of its marketing efforts on the popularity of the LAMP stack.

Components of LAMP

As stated above LAMP is made of four major components:

. Linux: the operating system [although any operating system can be used ranging from Unix(and its other variants), MAC OS to even Windows] Linux is OS of choice because its Free and wide availability and Security and its stability. Note: to read more about Linux please read our Linux tutorial at http://education.ebizelindia.com

. Apache: the Web server:

Often referred to as simply Apache, a public-domain open source Web server developed by a loosely-knit group of programmers. The first version of Apache, based on the NCSA httpd Web server, was developed in 1995.

Core development of the Apache Web server is performed by a group of about 20 volunteer programmers, called the Apache Group.

However, because the source code is freely available, anyone can adapt the server for specific needs, and there is a large public library of Apache add-ons. In many respects, development of Apache is similar to development of the Linux operating system.

The original version of Apache was written for UNIX, but there are now versions that run under OS/2, Windows and other platforms(almost all popular platforms).

The name is a tribute to the Native American Apache Indian tribe, a tribe well known for its endurance and skill in warfare. A common misunderstanding is that it was called Apache because it was developed from existing NCSA code plus various patches, hence the name a patchy server, or Apache server.

. MySQL: A relational database management system famous for being OPEN SOURCE, usually free and highly efficient. Essentially a database is defined as an organized collection of data. The DBMS sits "on top of" this data providing and interface between the database and the user.

MySQL is a simple, yet powerful Open Source Software relational database management system that uses SQL. For more details, see www.mysql.com or read our MySQL courses at http://education.ebizelindia.com

. PHP(Perl/Python): the programming language. PHP is a programming language for which Perl or Python is sometimes substituted. The term was coined in Europe, where these programs are commonly used together and have become something of a standard development environment. The name derives from the first letters of each of the programs.