One of the currently easiest to configure web servers for web apps development is Laragon. It let us create different kinds of development applications, from a Laravel project to a WordPress site with just one click. This is my preferred server over my previous WAMP configuration.
After installation of Laragon, it brings previous versions for both, Apache and PHP, so we will upgrade their versions to the latest.
First download and install the latest Visual Studio C++ redistributables from the Microsoft site
https://support.microsoft.com/es-pa/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads
Now we should download both packages from their webpages and unpack then, download the 32 or 64 versions that suits your OS, this are the links:
https://www.apachelounge.com/download/
https://windows.php.net/download#php-7.4
If you have Laragon server running stop it.
After unpack then, copy both folders to the Laragon/bin folder, inside their respective package name, (the new Apache folder that you download inside Apache folder in Laragon/bin and the new PHP inside the PHP folder).
then edit the file php.ini with your preferred text editor and search for the line that reads "; Be sure to appropriately set the extension_dir directive". Replace with this text until the place that reads "Module Settings".
; Be sure to appropriately set the extension_dir directive.
;
extension=php_bz2.dll
extension=php_curl.dll
;extension=php_com_dotnet.dll
;extension=php_enchant.dll
extension=php_fileinfo.dll
;extension=php_ftp.dll
extension=php_gd2.dll
extension=php_gettext.dll
extension=php_gmp.dll
extension=php_intl.dll
extension=php_imap.dll
;extension=php_interbase.dll
extension=php_ldap.dll
extension=php_mbstring.dll
extension=php_exif.dll ; Must be after mbstring as it depends on it
extension=php_mysqli.dll
;extension=php_odbc.dll
extension=php_openssl.dll
;extension=php_pdo_firebird.dll
extension=php_pdo_mysql.dll
;extension=php_pdo_oci.dll
;extension=php_pdo_odbc.dll
;extension=php_pdo_pgsql.dll
extension=php_pdo_sqlite.dll
;extension=php_pgsql.dll
;extension=php_phpdbg_webhelper.dll
;extension=php_shmop.dll
; The MIBS data available in the PHP distribution must be installed.
; See www.php.net
;extension=php_snmp.dll
extension=php_soap.dll
extension=php_sockets.dll
extension=php_sqlite3.dll
;extension=php_sysvshm.dll
;extension=php_tidy.dll
extension=php_xmlrpc.dll
extension=php_xsl.dll
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
; Module Settings ;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Now let’s start Laragon server again and after it finish to load, select web link from the Laragon Menu, it will load your Laragon localhost page, there you should see your current Apache and PHP version, and your new upgraded versions.
Now, we are ready to work again…
Top comments (2)
If you are macos user, ServBay.dev is worth to try. You don't need to spend some time or couple of days to setup anything. Just download it and you can use it immediately. You can run multiple PHP versions simultaneously and switch between them effortlessly.
Honestly, this tool has greatly simplified my PHP development and is definitely worth trying!
Thank you for the information provided above. Apache 2.4.41 and PHP 7.4.2 are generally reliable versions, but it's always a good practice to stay updated with the latest releases and security patches to maintain the stability and security of your web server environment. There are newer options available in the market which are more reliable and fast