How The LAMP Stack Rose To Prominence
Witness the journey of this beloved, faithful tool , LAMP stacks, as it rises to its esteemed position in the eyes of developers.
The LAMP stack has become a gold standard for software bundles. Containing all the ‘hidden’ elements of a website, a stack includes programming frameworks and a client server system. Each component is otherwise unrelated and can be used by itself, yet collectively, these stacks offer immense scope for creating apps and dynamic websites.
Linux Foundation
The bedrock of any LAMP stack is the Linux operating system. This open source OS is easily adjusted and customized, with several forks of Linux adopting subtle variations on the same basic architecture. Linux was a niche rival to Microsoft’s ubiquitous Windows platform for many years, before its adoption as the basis of the Android mobile operating system saw Linux become a staple component of most client server systems.
Linux also provides an ideal platform for running Apache, which is the world’s leading web server software. Managed by an eponymous software foundation, Apache is another free and open source platform. It’s famed for the reliability of its web servers, which are vital to the success of any client server system. Despite being available for Mac OS and Windows platforms, over 90% of Apache software is run on Linux. Having been the most popular HTTP server for over twenty years, it underpins half of the world’s websites.
MySQL Boosts
The third tier in any LAMP stack is a database management system to store and retrieve information, while handling dynamic content. Launched within weeks of Apache in 1995, MySQL has become the relational database management system of choice for platforms including WordPress and Drupal. It’s also a key component of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, since MySQL can be scaled across multiple servers to enhance speed and reliability.
PHP Bonus
The final ingredient in a LAMP stack is the scripting language that delivers web content to destination browsers as part of the client server system. While a number of languages can be used for dynamic web applications, PHP has become the most common choice. It dovetails perfectly with MySQL, and its similarities with HTML make it easy to use even by inexperienced developers. PHP files are presented as HTML within a webpage, but the former is better suited for websites requiring forms or dynamic pages. These have become increasingly common, as consumers demand more style and substance from their websites.
Humble Beginnings, Expert Application
Despite growing expectations of online sophistication and interactivity, the LAMP stack’s popularity has endured thanks to the relative simplicity of its components. Each element is open source, so it can be edited according to the requirements of individual clients or scenarios. The presence of supportive and engaged user communities has allowed every part of the stack to become polished and stable, comparing favorably to the periodic relaunch of Windows with its inevitable glitches. Indeed, LAMP stacks are famed for their reliability and stability, which is crucial for ensuring a website remains fully operational at all times. That’s especially impressive when you consider all four components are available for free.
Don’t Forget Perl and Python!
Finally, it’s worth noting the numerous LAMP variants and mutations that exist. Perl and Python can replace PHP as a programming language, while Windows or Mac OS may be deployed instead of Linux. There are also rival stacks based around JavaScript and Ruby on Rails, which could challenge LAMP’s market dominance in years to come.