How to Install XAMPP Web Server in Windows Server 2019

Configuring XAMPP on Windows Server 2019

Step 1: Launching the Control Panel

After installation, launch the XAMPP Control Panel from your Start menu. You’ll see modules for Apache, MySQL, and other services. Start Apache and MySQL by clicking their respective “Start” buttons.

If everything works correctly, you should see green “Running” status indicators. The Apache module will typically use port 80, while MySQL uses port 3306.

Step 2: Changing Default Ports

Sometimes, Windows Server 2019 may already have services (like IIS or Skype) running on ports 80 and 443. If Apache fails to start, you can:

Click Config next to Apache > httpd.conf

Search for “Listen 80” and change it to another port, e.g., Listen 8080. Save and restart Apache.

Step 3: Securing MySQL

1. Open phpMyAdmin from the XAMPP Control Panel.
2. Set a strong password for the root user.
3. Update the configuration in config.inc.php file accordingly.

Accessing Your Development Environment

Once XAMPP is up and running, you’ve got a few ways to jump into your development environment. Just open your browser and type these addresses into the bar to get to what you need:

Main dashboard: http://localhost/dashboard or http://127.0.0.1/dashboard/

phpMyAdmin: http://localhost/phpmyadmin

and Your projects: Place files in C:\xampp\htdocs\your-project-name

The dashboard provides quick access to all XAMPP components and includes useful tools for managing your development environment.

What does XAMPP include?

Apache: An open-source HTTP web server that runs on multiple platforms and accelerates the worldwide distribution of website content.

Tomcat: It is a Java server that allows you to run Java code.

PHP: PHP stands for Hypertext Prepossessor. It is a back-end programming language for creating dynamic web pages and server-side software.

Perl: The dynamic and interpretable programming language Perl is sometimes referred to as a general computer language.

phpMyAdmin: a program to manage MariaDB databases.

OpenSSL: It is a free and open-source implementation of SSL and TLP.

MariaDB: MySQL database management system has been replaced by MariaDB in Xampp. However, MariaDB has since taken over. Data storage, manipulation, retrieval, maintenance, and deletion services are available with this relational database management system on the internet.

Webalizer: A web analytics tool that tracks and collects user reports.

Filezilla: is a file transfer protocol server that simplifies and supports file transfer.

Mercury: An email server that makes email management more efficient and easier.

Cross Platform: Cross-platform is used to improve performance due to the wide variety of operating systems and software configurations.

Xampp Control Panel: Manage the software and all Xampp components as a central console.

Most important findings

always run XAMPP as administrator, configure the Windows firewall correctly and test your installation with the dashboard. When XAMPP runs successfully, you will have a complete Apache MySQL PHP development environment ready to test your applications.

Conclusion

Installing XAMPP on Windows Server 2019 is easy if you follow the right steps. This guide has covered everything from basic installation to configuration and security setup that developers often encounter.
For developers working with different operating systems, you might also find our XAMPP installation guide for Linux helpful, which covers Ubuntu and CentOS configurations with similar approaches to troubleshooting.

FAQ

1. What is the difference between XAMPP and WAMP?

XAMPP is cross-platform (works on Windows, Linux, macOS), while WAMP only works on Windows.

2. How do I change the PHP versions in XAMPP?

Download the required PHP version package, replace the existing PHP folder in C:\xampp and update the configuration files.

3. What is the difference between the XAMPP installation on Windows Server 2019 and normal Windows?

The installation process is identical, but Windows Server requires additional firewall configuration and security settings. Server environments usually require more network access configuration for multi-user scenarios.

4. Can I run XAMPP alongside IIS on Windows Server?

Yes, but you need to configure different ports. By default both use port 80, so change the XAMPP apache to port 8080 or stop IIS if you are using XAMPP.

5. Can I install multiple versions of PHP with XAMPP?

XAMPP comes with one version of PHP, but you can manually install additional versions of PHP and configure virtual hosts to use different versions for different projects.

6. How can I access XAMPP from other computers on the network?

Configure the Windows firewall to allow Apache and then access via the server’s IP address (e.g. http://192.168.1.100). Make sure that your network security policies allow this access.