research-documentation 03-local-php
Local PHP
Run PHP Locally With UltraEdit
UltraEdit is a website that grants users the ability to download and set up an environment to use PHP, Apache, and MySQL. Their sites runs through the installation and setup process for each aspect of running PHP locally, such as setting up the MySQL database, and using the UEStudio application, obtained from downloading their software, to run PHP.
Run PHP-Related Applications Jointly
There isn't the need for a third party to help run a self-hosted PHP server on your device. Some websites, such as Medium.com offer steps on how to configure and setup a local web server. It includes downloading Apache HTTP Server & PHP then a little setup to make it all work.
Purchase a Software Bundle Using Commercial Service
If you wanted to look into more sophisticated ways of using a third-party service to run a local web server, with PHP, you can use products / sites such as mamp.info; This site packages the typical resources needed for simply running PHP locally, as well as the ability to easily install WordPress and other programs like Joomla and Drupal. This service is a paid service, where getting access to everything requires a one time purchase.
Summary
Running PHP locally does provide some benefits, those being the ability to test out new software, extensions, and code locally without going public until you're ready. This also allows developers to quickly modify and test features without needing to upload large sums of files consistently. A major downside of running PHP locally is that some features may behave differently when ran locally compared to running on a public server.