Building and Testing a Simple Website with PHP's Built-in Web Server

Introduction:

In today's digital age, creating and testing websites has become increasingly accessible, thanks to the plethora of development tools available. Among these tools is PHP's built-in web server, which offers a lightweight and straightforward way to run PHP applications without the need for configuring complex web server software like Apache or Nginx. In this blog post, we'll explore how to create a basic "Hello, World!" website and test it using PHP's built-in web server.

Step 1: Setting Up the Environment

The first step is to create a directory for our website. We'll name it `hello_world_website` for this example. Within this directory, we'll create an `index.php` file containing our "Hello, World!" message.

Step 2: Creating the "Hello, World!" Website

Inside the `hello_world_website` directory, open your favorite text editor and create a new file named `index.php`. Then, add the following PHP code to display the "Hello, World!" message:

<?php

// Display "Hello, World!" message

echo "Hello, World!";

?>

Step 3: Running the PHP Built-in Web Server

Now that we have our simple website set up, we can use PHP's built-in web server to test it. Open a terminal or command prompt, navigate to the `hello_world_website` directory, and run the following command:

php -S 0.0.0.0:80

Step 4: Testing the Website

With the PHP built-in web server running, open a web browser and enter either `http://localhost` or `http://127.0.0.1` in the address bar. You should see the "Hello, World!" message displayed on the page.

Step 5: Stopping the PHP Built-in Web Server

Once you've finished testing your website, return to the terminal where you started the PHP built-in web server and press `Ctrl+C` to stop the server.

Conclusion:

In this blog post, we've demonstrated how to create a simple "Hello, World!" website using PHP and test it using PHP's built-in web server. This approach provides a quick and easy way to develop and test PHP applications without the need for additional web server software. Whether you're a beginner learning the basics of web development or a seasoned developer looking for a lightweight testing environment, PHP's built-in web server is a valuable tool to have in your arsenal.