Learning to create websites is a painstaking, time-consuming, costly task. Even when using usable CMS. And in a different way than by trial and error, it is impossible to master this business in any way. But while we will try and make mistakes, it is not necessary to pay for hosting services and throw them into the Internet space "immature" material. To mature in your topic, look after the format of the project, look for Domain name, you can determine the promotion strategy and other subtleties of the process at a measured pace, simultaneously studying the functionality of the chosen CMS.
To do this, you need to create a website on your computer - on local server. As such, organize in a Windows environment and implement the popular CMS for blogging - we will consider all this below in detail. And as a server platform we will choose .
1. OpenServer: about the platform
open server- this is software platform for web specialists, providing the creation and operation of a full-fledged server in a Windows environment. This is an assembly of all the necessary components, with which you can create sites of any complexity on your computer, using any selected CMS. Websites created in this way (when ready) transferred to paid hosting.
Key benefits of OpenServer:
Free;
Portability, complete independence from Windows environments current computer and the ability to work with the server on external drives from any other device;
Functionality, in particular, support for two HTTP modules - Apache and Nginx;
A number of utilities for convenient operation with assembly components (MySQL, PHP) ;
Current versions of the components included;
Convenient server management.
2. Download and install OpenServer
You can download OpenServer from the developers website:
We are offered 3 distribution builds to choose from: basic , premium and maximum . If we are talking only about creating and testing a site on , you can get by base assembly, it contains the necessary components - Apache , PHP and MySQL. For the prospect of exploring new features, new software, it is better to immediately download one of the more functional assemblies.
Descriptions of assemblies are given here, on their download page just below. If you refuse to donate, you will have to wait a long time for the platform to complete the download, more than an hour and a half for sure. So it's better to organize this business for the night or for other computer downtime.
Unpack the downloaded archive to any place on the non-system partition of the disk. Or on a flash drive, if we will work with the site on several computers.
After unpacking, go through specified path and run by using EXE-file for the corresponding Windows bit depth. The platform language selection will appear in a small window.
Next, we will be asked to set the environment Microsoft Visual C++ . In official distributions current versions Windows it, in theory, should be installed. But in any case, you can agree to the installation, it will not be worse.
3. Server start
After installation Microsoft Visual C++ the computer will restart. We start OpenServer on a new one. Access to the functionality of the platform will be available in the menu that appears on its icon in the system tray. The server is started by the option with a green flag "Run".
4. Possible problems when starting the server
Alas, we will not observe the successful launch of the server in every case. The fact is that by default, OpenServer is configured to use the latest versions of components, in particular, HTTP-module Apache 2.4 and PHP 5.5. The latter are incompatible with Windows versions, beginning with Vista and older. Typical server startup problems include busy ports 80 and 443 .
OpenServer will report these and other reasons for the inability to start with a notification in the system tray. In this case, we can refer to the platform settings section and tweak something. In the tab you can experiment with other versions Apache, PHP and MySQL.
If the server does not start due to a busy port HTTP 80, you need to close Skype. But you can do it differently - in the settings tab, assign a different port to the platform. The same must be done if any of the programs occupy the port HTTPS 443 .
Another difficulty in the operation of any local server is firewall and antivirus blocking. When a firewall message appears on the screen, you must allow OpenServer to work. You can deal with the antivirus by adding the platform unpacking folder and its workflow to the exceptions. For example, in Windows 10 Creators Update with a regular Defender, this is done as follows.
5. Install WordPress
So the server is running. By the way, its performance can be checked by typing in address bar browser:
localhost
If everything is fine, we will see a test greeting inscription "Open Server Panel works ;-)".
Next in the OpenServer installation folder OSPanel open subfolder. Here we create a new folder and name it. If you have a domain name, enter it as the folder name. If the process of creating a site is in its infancy, you can choose some technical name like site1 . By the way, in the OpenServer menu implemented fast access to the server sites folder.
It is not necessary to unpack the archive with the distribution kit. You can just copy its contents. Windows among the standard arsenal contains ZIP -archiver, so we can open the archive with the CMS distribution kit even in the explorer. You do not need to copy the folder, but only what is inside it.
Paste the copied content inside the site folder created above.
Note: inside the site folder there should not be an intermediate folder “wordpress”, otherwise its name will hang out in the addresses of the site pages.
6. MySQL database
The next step is to create a database MySQL site. In the OpenServer menu, click "Additionally", choose . The web application interface will open in a default browser window. In the authorization form, you only need to enter the username:
root
Leave the password field blank. We press "Forward".
In the opened form:
Fill in the username field (identical to site folder name)
;
We fill in the columns of the password and its confirmation (you can use the button below) "To generate" to generate a secure password)
;
We mark the checkboxes of the proposed database options;
Tick "Select all" global privileges.
The username and password are stored somewhere in TXT-file or password manager. We press "Forward".
Base MySQL created. Her name is the same as account. We can close the browser tab with the web application.
7. Editing the WordPress Configuration File
Now we need to edit the WordPress configuration file. We go to the site folder and look for the file there:
wp-config-sample.php
Rename it and remove it from the name "-sample". The result should be a file:
Open this file with any program like notepad, for example, Notepad++. From the three columns, as shown in the screenshot below, we delete the default values. And instead of them we substitute our own values - the data of the database created in the previous step MySQL :
'DB_NAME'– base name;
'DB_USER'- account name (identical to previous value)
;
'DB_PASSWORD'- password.
Next, we go down to changing the values of the WordPress keys. We follow the link to generate them, copy the values in the browser window and paste them into the corresponding columns of the notepad, as shown in the screenshot below.
We save and close the file.
8. Launching the WordPress Admin Panel
It will open in the default browser window during the initial setup of the site. Here we indicate its name, come up with a username and password admin-WordPress panels. Check the box to prevent indexing of the site by search engines. We press.
Login using the username and password you just entered. admin-WordPress Dashboard. That's it - the site has been created on the local server. Next comes the specifics of working with the blogging platform.
OpenServer is a set of programs, a platform for local work with sites. Includes:
- apache;
- Nginx;
- MySQL;
- MariaDB;
- MongoDB;
- PostgreSQL;
- PHP
- PHPMyAdmin.
And a number of components and scripts that create a full-fledged site. Then the site is transferred to the hosting. The OpenServer platform is also suitable for web developers.
Where to download Open Server?
On the "Download" page, you need to select the required edition (to check backup or install the CMS will suit "Basic"), enter the captcha and click on the download button.
Shared website hosting for popular CMS:
Click "Download", save the file. The download will take up to 60 minutes.
So it's better to wait an hour or two than to spend the same 2 hours cleaning operating system from "suddenly" installed extra programs.
Install OpenServer.
Go to the folder with the downloaded installer, run the file:
Select the folder in which the program will be unpacked, click "OK":
We are waiting for the archive to be unpacked:
Now the program can be launched.
Setting up and running OpenServer.
After the installation process is completed, you can go to the specified folder and run the program. Depending on the bitness of the operating system, select either "Open Server x64.exe" or "Open Server x86.exe".
After launch, select the desired language:
An OpenServer icon will appear in the tray with a notification of successful launch:
If the program is launched for the first time, you may be prompted to install patches for Microsoft Visual C++. For basic work You can't do this with a program. If you are not sure if you have these components installed, install them:
Windows Firewall and OpenServer.
If access to the program is blocked by a firewall, check where the distribution was downloaded from. If the program was downloaded from the official site - there is nothing to fear, we allow access.
Checking the operation of the Open Server after installation.
After installing all the necessary components, you need to run the program. To do this, click on its icon in the tray and select "Run".
OpenServer may not start at the same time as Skype, because both programs use the same ports. Therefore, before starting the server, turn off Skype. You can change the default ports in one of the programs later.
We launch:
In the browser we type "localhost" - if the program was installed correctly, we will see the following message:
This completes the installation, now you can use any program components.
I would like to present you a new professional web development tool for Windows.
Open Server is a portable local WAMP/WNMP server with a multifunctional control program and a wide range of plug-in components. The presented software package is not another amateur assembly assembled “on the knee”, it is the first full-fledged professional tool created specifically for web developers, taking into account their recommendations and wishes.
If you are still using Denwer, Xampp, Vertrigo, etc. or prefer to install all server components separately - welcome under cat.
Components and Tools
To debug scripts in various environments, Open Server offers a choice of two types of HTTP servers at once, various versions PHP and DBMS modules, as well as the ability fast switching between them.HTTP modules: Apache 2.2.21 and Nginx 1.0.11;
DBMS modules: MySQL 5.1.61, MySQL 5.5.20 and PostgreSQL 9.1.1;
PHP modules: PHP 5.2.17 (IMagick 2.2.1, Zend Optimizer 3.3.3, IonCube Loader 4.0.7, Memcache 2.2.4) and PHP 5.3.9 (IMagick 2.3.0, Xdebug 2.1.3, IonCube Loader 4.0.10, Memcache 2.2.6);
Great set of tools: HeidiSQL, Adminer, PHPMyAdmin, PHPPgAdmin, PgAdmin.
The package also includes such goodies as: Perl, FTP server, Sendmail, Memcached server!
Open Server is the only project I know of that includes Nginx! Moreover, a convenient connection of rewrite rules through .nxaccess files in the root of the domain is implemented here, and PHP works in True FastCGI mode (indestructible).
All components are taken from the official repositories and are always updated to the latest versions with each update of the package.
Opportunities
First of all, I want to note that Open Server is a completely portable server. No system services, heaps of garbage in the registry and system32. You can carry it everywhere with you on a flash drive (preferably on a high-speed one), run it on a working / home machine without fear that something will not work for you.If the necessary system components are not available on the computer, Open Server will install them itself, just select [Tools - First Run] from the menu if the server is started on the computer for the first time.
I do not want to describe the main features of the program, since for the most part they are standard for this kind of software. It goes without saying that with the help of Open Server you can start / stop the server or open the desired domain. It will be much more interesting for you to learn about the specific "features" that make Open Server special, really special:
Detailed view of the logs of all components in real time;
- choice of HTTP, DBMS and PHP modules in any combination;
- support for SSL and Cyrillic domains out of the box;
- support for aliases or otherwise domain pointers, as well as a convenient form for setting them up (hello to Drupal multisite fans!);
- creation of a local subdomain without losing the visibility of the main domain on the Internet;
- access to domains (in one click) and quick access to module configuration templates;
- multilingual interface (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, English);
The program is constantly being improved, all adequate requests from Open Server users are studied in detail and most of them are being implemented!
A bit of history
Initially, I was developing control program in the DevelStudio environment. I think there are those who read mine about this development environment. Since then, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge, I realized that work on this project is extremely sluggish, there were no prospects in terms of developing the functionality of Open Server. I rewrote the program from scratch and from version 4.0 onward development is carried out in Delphi.Conclusion
For many years I used Denwer in my daily work, after some time I switched to Vertrigo. I tried almost all other options available: XAMPP, AppServ, WAMPserver, TopServer, etc., but none of the above builds satisfied me. The limited functionality, the difficulty of setting up, and sometimes even simple external ugliness discouraged me from using these “creations”.Dear Khabravchan, I will be glad to see you at the Open Server forum, I will listen with interest to your proposals for the development of the project, wishes for connecting new components and other interesting ideas.
2. Project files.
I'll name the domain "myshop" (You can choose your own name if you wish). Unpack the downloaded archive with the project to the folder C:\OpenServer\domains\myshop\
It should look like this: (pay attention to the path to the folder)
3. Adding a local domain to Open Server.
Let's go to settings:
Then go to the "Domains" tab. In the drop-down list, select the menu item "Manual control":
The program will require a server restart, confirm:
4. Let's check the website.
Hooray! The site works, although it shows an error. The error text states that the site cannot connect to the database. Now we will set it up.
5. Database setup.
At the beginning of the lesson, we downloaded the db_export.zip archive. Unpack it. The db_export.sql file is a "copy" of the database, keep it handy.
The phpMyAdmin tool comes with Open Server. Let's use it to work with the database:
We go to the panel with the login "root", leave the password blank
Go to the Import tab, Choose File, select the db_export.sql file, click Open.
After a moment, the database will be imported, you can see the contents of its tables:
6. Setting the database connection parameters.
The last step is to configure the settings. To do this, we need to edit the db_params.php file in our project. To do this, open it with notepad:
And enter the required information. We leave the name of the database unchanged - "phpshop". In our case (with a standard installation of Open Server), the user is "root", the password is an empty string.
Installing and configuring openserver. detailed instructions how to install and start building your first website with open server.
Probably, many have already heard about such a wonderful little thing as open server
What is OpenServer? This is a software package consisting of Apache, MySQL, PHPMyAdmin (I called these the main ones), which is installed in one fell swoop (one program - in which there are many programs, roughly speaking)
If you yourself tried to install Apache first, then MySQL, then phpmyadmin, you would have spent a lot of time and effort (thanks to the author of this product!)
And then there are a bunch of necessary add-ons in the form of Nginx, PostgreSQL, Memcached, IonCube and a bunch of necessary things for people who create websites
Let's talk about the convenience of Open Server before installation. Firstly, it is compact, does not take up much space, has a convenient menu and contains there is nothing superfluous (almost =D). This is what Open Server looks like after launch
As we see starts Open Server in tray without taking up space on the taskbar
Let's see main advantages of Open Server ahead of Denwer and other Windows products. First, the documentation. Openserver has documentation for almost all components 
And even though it was made in the form of links to other sites, it still exists. And if necessary, we can go to the site and read the information we need
let's go further
The second plus of this program. Required programs, which are often needed to create a site, are already in the Open Server package itself. Notepad needed - please PDF viewing- also there, taking screenshots, editing icons, even analyzing disks and a port monitor is here (but why =D)
FileZilla FTP client, portable Google Chrome, portable Firefox, even Skype and TeamViewer. It can be seen that the creator of the project really did his best. He definitely deserved thanks for such a killer-comfortable set called open server
Excellent! Let's install it. Download link below
https://ospanel.io/download/
So, install Open server
We launch on behalf of the administrator Open server. You will be prompted in which folder to install it.
For this tutorial, I put Open server on the test computer, so I unzip to the C: drive (because there is no other one) 
After unpacking, the Openserver folder appeared on the disk specified during installation (in my case, the C :) drive - we will need it in the future. Let's open it. We see 2 files. Open Server x86 and Open server x64. You need to run the file, depending on the bitness of your system (I don't know my bitness?)
I have 7 64 bit, so I run Open Server x64.exe (preferably as administrator) 
By the way, you can immediately throw the desired shortcut (32 or 64) on the desktop 
When starting, we specify the language in which it will be convenient for us to read the translation of the Open Server program. I will choose Russian 
Whether to install Visual C++ is up to you. But it's better to install it so that everything works 
After installation, restart your computer 
After reboot again start Open Server. Since I dropped the shortcut to my desktop, I will launch it from there 
After launch, need to go to tray(as the Open server is started in the “Shut down” mode) and confirm the start
When the checkbox Open Server turned green, then our Open Server is running, and we can start working with it 
So let me show you the basics. open server that will be of interest to you
How to get into phpmyadmin in Open server
In order to get into phpmyadmin, you need to type in (Open server must be running) line of the browser
http://127.0.0.1/openserver/phpmyadmin/index.php
Or go to Open Server setup and click on phpmyadmin 
User: root No password 
How to create a new site on Open Server
Let's create a new site on Openserver (see how I try for you)
I download the latest Joomla from the office. site 
I create a test folder in the localhost folder 
Unzip, from the Joomla archive, all the files to our test folder 
Now we can start installing Joomla. To do this, enter in the browser line (test - due to the fact that we created the test folder in localhost. If we had created the nos folder, it would have started localhost / nos)
localhost/test 
That's all for today! I hope you enjoyed this lesson!
