Experience the Exciting Challenge of Setting Up WordPress in XAMPP

WordPress, one of the most widely used content management systems (CMS) globally, empowers nearly 40% of all online sites. Setting up WordPress, however, can be a perplexing task for beginners or those with nil coding skills. Here, we present an exhilarating, step-by-step guide on how to set up WordPress in XAMPP.

What is XAMPP?

XAMPP is a free, open-source platform that enables you to create a local web server environment on your computer, standing for Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Perl. It serves as an incredible tool for developers who want to experiment with web applications using a local server before deploying them on a live website.

Step-by-Step Guide to Set Up WordPress in XAMPP

Step 1: Download and Install XAMPP

The first step to setting up WordPress in XAMPP is to download and install XAMPP on your computer. You can download XAMPP from its official website, and during installation, check the following components:

• Apache
• MySQL
• PHP

Step 2: Start the XAMPP Control Panel

After the installation process, you need to launch the XAMPP control panel. Navigate to the “XAMPP” folder in your drive, usually C:/XAMPP, and launch the ‘xampp-control’ executable file. This action will bring up the XAMPP control panel that displays the status of each component you installed.

Step 3: Create a Database

You need to create a database for WordPress to store all your website data. Follow these steps to create one:

1. Launch the XAMPP control panel
2. Click on the ‘Start’ button next to MySQL to start the MySQL server
3. Once the MySQL server starts, click on the ‘Admin’ button next to MySQL. This takes you to the phpMyAdmin interface
4. Click on the ‘Databases’ tab located at the top of the page
5. Enter a new name for your database in the ‘Create database’ field
6. Click on the ‘Create’ button to create the database

Step 4: Download and Install WordPress

Download WordPress from its official website and extract it to the ‘htdocs’ folder located in the ‘XAMPP’ installation directory. You can find the ‘htdocs’ folder in the path C:/xampp/htdocs.

Step 5: Configure WordPress

To configure WordPress to use the database you created in step 3:

1. Rename the ‘wp-config-sample.php’ file to ‘wp-config.php.’
2. Open the ‘wp-config.php’ file in a text editor and locate the following code:

// ** MySQL settings - You can get this info from your web host ** //
/** The name of the database for WordPress */
define( 'DB_NAME', 'database_name_here' );
/** MySQL database username */
define( 'DB_USER', 'username_here' );
/** MySQL database password */
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'password_here' );
/** MySQL hostname */
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );

3. Replace the necessary details (database_name_here, username_here, password_here) with the details of the database you created in step 3
4. Save the changes and close the file.

Step 6: Launch WordPress

Type ‘http://localhost/wordpress’ in your browser’s address bar to launch WordPress after configuring it to use the database you created in step 3. You’ll be taken to the WordPress installation page.

1. Select your language preference.
2. Enter your site title, username, password, and email address in the appropriate fields.
3. Click on the ‘Install WordPress’ button to complete the installation process.

After installation, sign in to your WordPress dashboard using the credentials you entered during the process.

Conclusion

Though setting up WordPress in XAMPP may seem challenging at first, it is a fun, exciting process that anyone can do with a little guidance. This guide provides you with the steps to set up WordPress locally, allowing you to test and modify your website before deploying it globally. Remember always to keep your XAMPP installation safe from external threats and up to date. Enjoy playing with WordPress!