UwAmp is a Windows development environment from Guillaume Le Coz for running local websites with Apache, PHP, and MariaDB. It also supports existing MySQL installations. A portable control application manages the servers, their configurations, and project folders. The software is free for personal and commercial use.
One folder holds the environment
UwAmp keeps its application, server components, sites, databases, and settings together. The servers run without registration as Windows services. The dashboard provides individual start, stop, and restart controls, alongside controls for all servers. It displays Apache and database activity, including CPU and memory usage.
Minimizing the application can move it to the notification area, whose icon shows server status. Closing it requests confirmation before stopping the servers. Settings control these behaviors and whether servers start automatically.
Choosing the active components
The Components page retrieves additional Apache, PHP, MariaDB, and phpMyAdmin packages. UwAmp checks their downloads and configures them automatically. Several versions can occupy separate folders. Selecting another version on the dashboard restarts the affected server.
PHP and Apache must use matching processor architectures. Apache also requires a Thread Safe PHP build; UwAmp identifies incompatible combinations. Database versions keep separate data folders, so moving between major versions requires database export and import.
Project folders become local addresses
A folder beneath www becomes a site beneath localhost. The New Site command takes a name and creates both a project folder and a matching name.localhost virtual host. That local domain works without changing the Windows hosts file.
The virtual-host editor controls the address, port, server names, document root, aliases, and directory rules. Users can add directives and set how Apache handles access and .htaccess files. Saving and applying changes validates the configuration and restarts Apache.
UwAmp identifies another program that occupies the HTTP port. Users can choose a different listening port, which changes the address they use in the browser.
HTTPS on the local server
The application creates a self-signed certificate for localhost and enables an HTTPS virtual host. The Apache page can generate a replacement certificate. This local certificate does not carry trust from a public certificate authority.
Loopback or network access
The Network Access switch changes the web and database listeners together:
| Mode | Apache | MariaDB or MySQL |
|---|---|---|
| Offline | Accepts requests from this computer | Listens on the loopback address |
| Online | Accepts network requests through all interfaces | Listens on all interfaces |
Offline is the default. Online mode makes sites available through the local-network address on the dashboard and may require Windows firewall permission. The phpMyAdmin and UwAmp pages remain accessible from the same computer only.
Configuring the PHP runtime
The PHP page enables extensions through checkboxes and identifies missing DLLs. It also changes error display, time zone, execution settings, OPcache, and Xdebug options. Each PHP version keeps its own configuration template. Users can rebuild that template from development or production defaults.
The PHP console opens a command prompt in the www folder. Its environment selects the active PHP runtime, so terminal commands use the same choice as the server.
Database management through phpMyAdmin
The database page changes the server port and opens its console or data folder. Its password form changes the database password and phpMyAdmin configuration together. When users change the password elsewhere, they update Settings to keep phpMyAdmin connecting.
The bundled phpMyAdmin interface opens in the browser. It manages databases and tables, runs SQL statements, and imports or exports data. Users can choose SQL or CSV for data transfers.
From templates to live configuration
UwAmp builds live Apache, PHP, and database configurations from templates whenever a server starts. Edit controls open those templates in the user’s chosen editor. Saving a template restarts the relevant server.
Macros insert the active component paths, document folder, ports, and network-access rules. They let one template follow the current environment. A restore control brings back the initial template.
Before Apache starts, UwAmp tests its configuration. The console and Logs page display server output and error logs. A configuration test identifies the faulty line when a rule prevents startup.
Commands and component updates
The command-line interface starts, stops, restarts, or checks servers from scripts. Other commands create a site, retrieve default components, or manage application updates. A root option directs commands at another UwAmp folder.
The application checks for its own updates and can replace the control executable while preserving sites, settings, databases, and running servers. Users update Apache, PHP, and MariaDB separately through Components.
