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Acquia Dev Desktop VS XAMPP

Compare Acquia Dev Desktop VS XAMPP and see what are their differences

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Acquia Dev Desktop logo Acquia Dev Desktop

A *AMP stack specifically tailored for Drupal.

XAMPP logo XAMPP

XAMPP is a free and open-source cross-platform web server that is primarily used when locally developing web applications.
  • Acquia Dev Desktop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-11
  • XAMPP Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-20

Acquia Dev Desktop features and specs

  • Local Development Environment
    Acquia Dev Desktop provides a complete local development environment for developing Drupal sites, allowing developers to work offline and extend or test new features without impacting the live site.
  • Easy Drupal Installation
    It simplifies Drupal installation by bundling the Drupal core codebase, PHP, Apache, and MySQL, making it easier for beginners and experienced developers to set up Drupal sites quickly.
  • Seamless Integration with Acquia Cloud
    The tool integrates seamlessly with Acquia Cloud, facilitating easy code, database, and file uploads from local to cloud environments, and vice versa, streamlining the workflow for Acquia users.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Acquia Dev Desktop is available for both Windows and Mac operating systems, catering to developers using different platforms.

Possible disadvantages of Acquia Dev Desktop

  • Limited to Drupal
    The tool is specifically designed for Drupal development, making it less versatile for developers working with other content management systems or frameworks.
  • Deprecated Support
    While Acquia Dev Desktop is still available for download, there are indications that its support and updates are becoming less frequent, which may lead to compatibility issues with newer technologies or Drupal versions in the future.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users report performance challenges, particularly when dealing with complex sites or extensive configurations, as local resources may become constrained.
  • Learning Curve for Beginners
    Although it simplifies the process of setting up a Drupal environment, beginners might still face challenges understanding the nuances of Drupal along with Acquia's specific workflows and tools.

XAMPP features and specs

  • Ease of Installation
    XAMPP provides an easy installation process, bundling Apache, MariaDB, PHP, and Perl into a single package, making it simple for developers to set up a local development environment.
  • Cross-Platform
    XAMPP is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS, ensuring a wide range of developers can use it regardless of their operating system.
  • Pre-Configured
    XAMPP comes pre-configured with many useful modules, reducing the need for manual setup and configuration of these components.
  • Community Support
    XAMPP has an active community and extensive documentation, making it easier to find solutions to potential issues and learn how to use the tool effectively.
  • Open Source
    XAMPP is free and open-source, making it accessible for anyone to use and modify according to their needs.

Possible disadvantages of XAMPP

  • Security Concerns
    XAMPP is not recommended for production environments because it is configured with a wide range of open defaults for convenience, which can pose significant security risks.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running all of the bundled services simultaneously can be resource-intensive, potentially slowing down a developer’s machine, especially if it has limited hardware capabilities.
  • Updates and Compatibility
    Updates to XAMPP's components (Apache, MariaDB, PHP, etc.) may not be as frequent or timely compared to installing them individually, potentially leading to issues with compatibility or missing out on new features.
  • Limited Production Usability
    XAMPP is designed primarily for development and debugging, making it less suitable for live, production servers without significant reconfiguration.
  • Less Granular Control
    The pre-configured nature of XAMPP means that developers might have less granular control over individual components compared to setting up a custom server environment.

Analysis of XAMPP

Overall verdict

  • XAMPP is generally considered a good option due to its ease of use, comprehensive feature set, and active community support. It’s particularly advantageous for beginners and those looking to streamline their workflow without getting bogged down in complex configurations. Its wide adoption in the web development community further solidifies its credibility.

Why this product is good

  • XAMPP is a widely-used open-source software package that provides a local server environment primarily for PHP development. It simplifies the process of setting up a server on your local machine by bundling Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Perl into a single installation. This makes it ideal for developers working on web applications who need a reliable and easy-to-set-up local testing environment.

Recommended for

    XAMPP is recommended for web developers, especially those working with PHP-based applications, students learning web development, and professionals who need a convenient local server environment for testing and development purposes. It is also suitable for hobbyists who want to experiment with web server configurations and test their projects before deployment.

Acquia Dev Desktop videos

+ Add

How and why to install Acquia Dev Desktop

More videos:

  • Review - Intro to Drupal using Acquia Dev Desktop

XAMPP videos

+ Add

XAMPP - What is...

More videos:

  • Tutorial - XAMPP Tutorial In One Video In Hindi With Live PHP MYSQL Project Using phpMyAdmin 2019
  • Review - MySQL & Apache Server auf dem Desktop! - XAMPP Review (Deutsch)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Acquia Dev Desktop and XAMPP)

Acquia Dev Desktop

XAMPP

Web And Application Servers
2 2%
Web And Application Servers
98% 98
Web Servers
2 2%
Web Servers
98% 98
Development Tools
7 7%
Development Tools
93% 93
Application Server
2 2%
Application Server
98% 98

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Acquia Dev Desktop and XAMPP

Acquia Dev Desktop Reviews

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XAMPP Reviews

Exploring 7 Efficient Alternatives to MAMP for Local Development Environments
WampServer is a web development environment tailored for Windows, integrating Apache server, MySQL database, PHP, and phpMyAdmin. Similar to XAMPP, it offers an intuitive interface for managing server configurations and databases, supporting quick PHP version switching for testing in different environments.
Source: medium.com
Top 6 Alternatives to XAMPP for Local Development Environments
Fortunately, there are many excellent alternatives to XAMPP on the market. In this article, we'll analyze and recommend the top 6 alternatives to XAMPP.
Source: dev.to
Best XAMPP Alternatives for Website Development in 2024
While XAMPP is widely used for local website development, its limitations can hinder the process. However, XAMPP alternatives like InstaWP offer a powerful solution for WordPress development. Offering a user-friendly interface, seamless migration options, and comprehensive testing environments, InstaWP addresses the shortcomings of XAMPP.
Source: instawp.com
8 Best MAMP Alternatives (Definitive List)
Compared to MAMP or WampServer, the XAMPP control panel provides you with far more options to manage your local development setup. You get access to a broad range of configuration options and administrative controls for each software component. XAMPP also provides you with in-depth logs so you can track every change to the environment.
Source: kinsta.com
13 Best XAMPP Alternatives
It offers a wide range of great features, but let’s take a look at some of its best characteristics: automatic detection for PHP versions, Apache versions, MySQL versions, and much more; native support for most typical servers, including Xampp, LAMP, MAMP, and WampServer; automatic updates using CPanel on your server; easy migration process that can migrate databases between...
Source: thetechtian.com

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Acquia Dev Desktop and XAMPP, you can also consider the following products

Devilbox - Cross-platform, Docker-based alternative to XAMPP.

MAMP - MAMP is the abbreviation for Macintosh, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. It is a reliable application with its four components that allows you to access the local PHP server as well as the database server (SQL).

ddev - DDEV is an open source tool that makes it simple to get local PHP development environments up and running in minutes. Extend and share per-project environment configurations.

Apache HTTP Server - Apache httpd has been the most popular web server on the Internet since April 1996

Microsoft IIS - Internet Information Services is a web server for Microsoft Windows

Laragon - All in one web server.

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