Learning About LAMPstack – A Go-To Guide For The Beginners

If you’ve been working in the world of technology for some time, you may have heard about LAMPstack already. But what is it really? Why’s there so much excitement surrounding it?

Okay, let’s start off with the “stack” part.

So, in essence, the term “stack” has been coined or derived from the phrase “solution stack.” It’s an accumulation of software that’s knitted together to create a platform. And it’s capable of supporting almost any kind of application available out there.

But, what does “LAMP” indicate in “LAMPstack?”

In the year of 1998, Michael Kunze came up with the aforesaid term, in which the “LAMP” suggests the following – 

• L = Linux.
• A = Apache.
• M = MySQL.
• P = PHP.

At first, it was created as a prototype to house a specific application or two. But, since then, it has progressed quite massively and has become the core foundation of Linux-hosted apps.

What is LAMPstack – Taking a closer look

In short, Lampstack is all about offering an open-source approach to a developer for making a back-end development or two. While you can use the aforesaid programs to create something new, it’s also possible to throw in Perl or Python as an alternative.

LAMPstack, contrary to any other related platform, is much easier to use. In addition to that, it’s also a lot easier to customize an application and deploy the same again. 

Finally, there’s a large community backing the platform as well. Therefore, you can always talk to them when you’re stuck somewhere.

The Architecture of LAMPstack

As mentioned before, LAMPstack is created through four elements, including – Apache, PHP, MySQL, and, last yet not least, Linux. Each of them is pretty different from the other. Hence, their overall contribution tends to be a little distinct as well. Let’s learn more about them.

L = Linux

Linux is the operating system of the stack and, therefore, sits at the top layer of the same. You can also consider it as the backbone of the system, as it prompts every other component to run on it. Linux is probably the most accommodating OS in the world. So, that helps too!

Before I move on to the next section, let me tell you another secret.

When it comes to creating an app, your programming language and the database management system have to comply with each other. And in this case, MySQL and PHP work efficiently alongside Linux. Conversely, ASPNET and SQL operate perfectly with Windows.

A = Apache

Unlike Linux, Apache is the web server of the titular stack platform. It operates by using the HTTP certification to process a request and transmit data on the internet.

So, what’s the point of using Apache?

Well, to begin with, it comes with a feature-rich and mature ecosystem. Therefore, it’s much faster than usual and generally doesn’t create any problem-puddle.

Also, unlike most other web servers available on the internet, it’s a lot more secure. However, I’ll still ask you to add a firewall within it… just to be safe.

M = MySQL 

MySQL is, in essence, an open-source database, which can help you store the data related to the application you want to create. If you use it alongside Apache, it’ll store almost each and every piece of information in a specific and manageable structure.

In addition to this, MySQL can also be ideal if you –

• Have content that must be stored somewhere safe or restored quickly.
• Tend to change your website or application’s content too often.
• Rely primarily on the feedback of your user base.
• Have loads of user-written or – contributed content on your website.

With MySQL, it’ll be much easier for you to make any kind of alteration you want to make as well. Just be careful with how you’re operating, and you’ll be fine.

P = PHP

The fourth and final layer of the LAMPstack is PHP, the programming language. Its overall role is to combine each and every element of LAMP and deploy them effortlessly.

While working, you’ll need to use the PHP language with Apache to create a dynamic app or a webpage. Only using HTML isn’t going to help you out in this aspect.

Nonetheless, the learning curve regarding PHP is quite tricky, in my opinion. So, you can try using Python and Perl as an alternative as well.

How does LAMPstack work?

The process in a LAMPstack ecosystem begins from the Apache server when it gets requests via someone’s browser. 

• If the request is all about a PHP file, Apache will let the PHP programming language handle it.
• Then, it’ll load the file again and execute the code manually. And while this is going on, PHP will communicate with MySQL to get something referenced within the code.
• After that, PHP will use the code and help the browser create an HTML to display the webpage correctly. 
• Finally, once the file code proceeding has been completed, PHP will pass the resulting data back to Apache. It’ll send the same to the browser.

The best thing about LAMPstack is that it can handle both dynamic and static web pages. So, it becomes easier for the developers to create an accommodating app that can take both.

Benefits of LAMPstack

If you’ve read until now, you probably have noticed that LAMPstack can essentially make your job as a developer much easier. Here’s how.

• LAMPstack comes with a massive bundle of open-source software. Therefore, no matter what you’re doing, they’ll always be readily available for you.
• It doesn’t involve or come with any license fee at all. And, the limitation or restriction of usage on the platform is nearly non-existent, if I’m being honest.
• As a developer, you’ll have easy and direct access to the community. So, it’ll be much easier for you to fix related issues and bugs accordingly.
• LAMPstack can also simplify the whole software development procedure massively. Hence, the flexibility provided by the same will be unparalleled. 

Should you use LAMPstack – What’s the verdict?

As you can see, LAMPstack is indefinitely the best possible option available out there if you want to create a web application. But, behind its customizable persona, there lie some weird disadvantages as well. For example, it doesn’t accept any operating system other than Linux. Also, Apache can sometimes malfunction a little while working under heavy workloads. So, that’s another thing to be concerned about as well.