mezzoblue  §  Virtual Hosts for Dummies

Virtual Hosts for Dummies

August 05, 2004 9AM PST

Running your own local Apache server for development is a great idea, and even better if you’ve enabled local virtual hosts.

As demand for open source software increases, so do the options. Popular packages are frequently ported to different platforms, so it’s fully possible to run a local install of Apache regardless of which operating system you use on your workstation.

The stumbling block is mainly know-how, which is fortunately an easy gap to fill. I am decidedly not a system administrator, but I’ve run various Apache installs over the past year — without much conviction I should note, so learning has been slow.

I’ve been getting this set up too on my new 15″ Powerbook and it’s VERY SWEET having your server also be your workstation. That is my favorite — it’s like shooting developer efficiency straight into your veins not to have to upload or save to server. Just hit Reload and you see it. Very nice… 🙂