L.A.M.P. is an acronym

it means POWERFUL Web Sites! It refers to the use of four different software packages to provide tremendous improvements to how users see you on the web. Collectively, these four software components are called the LAMP Stack because each part adds to the whole. The four parts of the LAMP Stack are the Linux operating system, the Apache web server, the MySQL database, and the PHP programming language or hypertext preprocessor.

What you see on the Internet is created by a balance of information and technical feasibility. Often, writers responsible for creating valuable content lack the technical ability to create effective web documents. Likewise, designers who can create effective web documents often have little to say about other topics. Many web sites use the LAMP Stack to create an web site where writers can easily create documents which make users happy.

Linux operating system

Much as you need a base operating system to give you access to all the programs on your computer, a web site needs access to certain programs too. Furthermore, web sites are stored as files on servers connected to the Internet in exactly the same way that you are connected to the Internet. Security is of extreme concern in running web sites as well, because the purpose of a web site hosting computer is to invite unknown users to have access. The Linux operating system is a good choice for the operating system on web site hosting computers because it runs the necessary programs, it provides solid access to the Internet, and it is intrinsically secure.

Apache Web Server

The Apache web server is a program which responds to requests from visitors by sending web pages through the Internet, and it is the communication aspect of the LAMP Stack. You can visualize the process of viewing web sites as communicating with someone through a sound-proof wall. Your only tools are slips of paper, a pencil, and a hole in the wall. You initiate the conversation by writing a simple note and pushing it through the hole. The Apache web server is the program which reads your slip of paper and responds by writing an answer on another slip of paper and pushing it back. These answers are most simply just text files which are saved on the computer in a pattern which predicts requests and provides responses that can be selected by Apache according to a flow chart.

MySQL

The simple text file scenario is made much more dynamic by the addition in the LAMP Stack of the MySQL database program. With a database the web site can provide a variety of customized responses which can be selected in whole or in parts based upon the situation. The sections can be rearranged or manipulated and even changed based upon events or messages sent through the hole on slips of paper. A good example of this is an Internet shopping cart where the contents of the cart and the total amount due change based upon choices made by the person interacting with the web site.

PHP

Finally, the addition of the PHP programming language to the LAMP Stack gives the system the ability to change the overall output based upon both input and calculations. As an example, within the algorithmic structures of PHP, a programmer can create a deck of cards. The PHP programming language can be used to calculate the correct probability of a particular card being dealt. The results of the deal can be stored in the MySQL database and sent to the web site user by the Apache web server. When the user responds by indicating a desire to draw another card, the probability can be calculated again, a card can be selected, and it might be determined that the web site user has won. The PHP programming language can calculate how much the web site user should collect and send a congratulations message customized with the user’s name which has been read from the MySQL database.

There are many different combinations of technologies which can accomplish the same tasks as the LAMP Stack; Microsoft offers the .NET application suite for example. The difference in many ways is one of personal preference but may be based upon some significant differences. All of the components in the LAMP Stack are open source programs meaning that you can read, change, and contribute to the development of the programs; and they are generally free for use with no warranties, fees, or restrictions. Unlike some systems, most of the LAMP Stack components are not intrinsically visually oriented. To make use of the systems you will need to become comfortable analogously with written slips of paper instead of relying on your color photocopier to create your messages. And, there are not many pre-packaged solutions for the LAMP Stack.

GetNetEZ.com specializes in development and hosting of LAMP stack Internet Applications. We can enrich the Joomla framework for you or we can build custom applications to accomplish exactly what your particular situation requires.