Web designers and developers are familiar with LAMP stack or might have heard about it at least on one occasion. LAMP stack shines bright among companies that offer open source development services. It quickly became one of the most common website ‘stack’ platforms in the market, and there are reasons for it. 

This is a quick guide to understanding the essence of LAMP stack. Let’s start from the basics. 

‘Stack’   

The ‘stack’ platform is broadly defined as a collection of software unified to perform a specific task. Such platforms are essentially the foundation for a wide range of applications and services. 

In a web context, a stack finds its use in development. The platform’s major components include an operating system, a programming language, web server, and a database software. The operating system obviously functions as the core of the platform while the database software stores the data generated. The web server serves the front-end of the website to the viewers. 

Now let’s get into the meaning behind LAMP, and why it became a favorite for software development companies in Dubai.

The LAMP Stack

One of the most popular entirely open source web service and development stacks in the internet, the LAMP stack is ideal for dynamic web sites and web applications. LAMP is an acronym for its core components that include Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. 

The components are freely available for use individually. Being open source, the developers won’t have to be concerned about vendor lock-in unlike when using proprietary software, and won’t have to demand a large budget for the development. 

LAMP stack is also modular, and developers have the option to replace one component with a similar other open source solution if need be. This modularity brought forth several variants of LAMP such as WAMP, WIMP, MAMP, SAMP etc. The difference would be primarily in one of the four components; most commonly the OS.

The Components of LAMP

Linux

The widely popular open source operating system is still the best when it comes to open source collaboration. The diverse operating system features various distributions designed to manage everything from a desktop interface to a server backend. Ubuntu is a popular example for one of its distributions. 

Apache

Apache is, simply put, the HTTP server that receives requests from the client’s web browser and responds appropriately. In a nutshell, Apache servers a website’s homepage along with its contents to a viewer. 

Apache has been around since the mid-90s and operates on close to 52% of active websites on the internet at present. Though Nginx gives good competition, Apache doesn’t seem to be getting outpaced. The open source server is also designed for modularity, and the large open source community constantly thinks of new ways to improve its features and functionalities. 

MySQL

MySQL is the relational database management system that uses the relational model proposed by Edgar F. Codd in the 1960s to organize and store data. The webmaster can use MySQL to link information across various tables. MySQL, despite being quite popular, is now gradually being replaced by MongoDB – a newer database with more beneficial features. 

PHP

For the LAMP stack, PHP is the highlight. The popular server-side scripting language enables scripts to run entirely on the developer’s server rather than on the client’s. The general purpose language can also be embedded into HTML or HTML5 markup, and is compatible with many popular development frameworks and content management systems. 

Conclusion

Almost every hosting provider you may work with may be using LAMP stack or one of its many variants for their services. Almost every open source development company would be offering LAMP development services. A familiarity with the stack platform would make it easier for you to understand how a website operates behind the scenes. Essentially, LAMP stack gives you more control over your site. To conclude, it can make a positive difference for your web projects.