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Although Windows 10 leads the market in terms of active users, there are still a lot of Mac owners out there. In fact, Macs still operate a $25 billion venture for Apple.
If you’re a Mac user and a business owner, it’s likely you’ll want to do things with a computer you’re more familiar with. This also includes running a web server to host your site and other online needs, using your Mac.
That said, you’re looking to turn your Mac into a web server, you need to learn a few things. This might be a better option for some instead of relying on cheap web hosting sites. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to use your Mac as a server; we’ve got you covered.
Simply follow the steps below to get ahead of the game:
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1. Install and Configure MAMP (Mac, Apache, MySQL, PHP)
This is an open-source program that gives you the ability to host a website using a Mac computer. Download this app to your Mac computer using a stable connection and install it once it’s finished. As soon as it’s done, navigate to the folder called /Applications/MAMP.
The server configuration files, as well as the website you make, will go to this folder. You can now start configuring MAMP by searching for the file called MAMP.app. Double-click on it to get the HTTP server going.
As soon as it appears, you can proceed to click on Preferences. This will show you choices regarding MAMP and MAMP Pro. Unselect these options to ensure that your server keeps running without the need of the application itself.
Open the Ports tab afterward and make sure you choose the default Apache and MySQL ports. This will ensure that your Apache and MySQL servers are at port 80.
2. Sharing with FTP
Go to the System Preferences and select the Sharing tab as soon as you’re done with the initial setup. Click on the option “File Sharing” and select the Options button. Once there, you can click on “Share files and folders using FTP” and press the done button.
Mac Website
The next step is to unselect the option for “Web Sharing” if the system chose it as the default. To control the computer using SSH, select the option “Remote Login”.
3. Port Forwarding
Do you need to access your website from a device other than the original host? If so, you will need to have a router in place. This allows you to forward the right HTTP ports to your current computer.
It’s important to remember that the specific procedures will vary across different routers. The good news is that the basic steps are almost the same. To start this, you need to go to the System Preferences section and go to Network.
As soon as you’re there, take a note of your IP address shown under Status. You can then go to a website called Port Forward. Scroll down and start looking for your router’s model and once found, click on it.
You’ll get taken to the next page where you’ll get the information related to your router’s external IP. Write it down and find Apache in the gigantic list below and select it.
You can now enter your local IP address in the small box that appears on the next page. Follow the instructions to ensure that you finish forwarding the ports on your router.
4. Install a CMS (Content Management System)
Using a CMS helps making, reviewing, editing, and publishing content much easier. There are a lot of free CMS you can use for your website. But the most popular ones out there include:
- WordPress
- Joomla
- Drupal
This guide will cover the steps on how to set up a WordPress CMS. You need to download the WordPress ZIP file from their official website. Unzip the file and transfer the WordPress folder to the /Applications/MAMP/htdocs directory.
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Go to the WordPress folder and use a text editor to open the wp-config-sample.php. Replace both the ‘usernamehere’ and ‘yourpasswordhere’ fields with ‘root’. Also, you need to change the ‘putyourdbnamehere’ with your own database’s name.
You might still need to make a database while doing this step. If so, leave it blank for now and come back later to fill it up. As soon as you make a complete configuration of WordPress, the CMS will guide you on how to make your web pages.
5. Make a New Database
![Hosting Hosting](/uploads/1/1/9/6/119681075/878076686.jpg)
To make the database, you need to start by opening the MAMP.app program. Click on “Open Start Page” since it launches MAMP’s start page in your preferred web browser. As soon as it’s open, you should select the “phpMyAdmin” on the toolbar located on top of the page.
Under “Create new database”, you can now type the appropriate name for your database. As soon as you’re done, click on the Create button. Go back to the wp-config-sample.php file and replace ’putyourdbnamehere’ with that database name.
You can then save the file as wp-config.php to finish the entire process. Python 3.7.7 download.
![Web Web](/uploads/1/1/9/6/119681075/667699333.png)
Using Mac OS Server for Web Hosting
The built-in Apache server has limitations that only exists in the standard Mac OS version. The limitations go away as soon as you opt for the Mac OS Server. This offers a lot of great server features like:
- Mail Servers
- Web Servers
- File Sharing
- Calendar and Contacts server
- Wiki Servers
There are more features you can avail for your internet server. It’s especially great if you’re wondering, “what does a server do?” when it’s at full capacity. The Mac OS Server is available for purchase at the app store for about $19.99.
Take note, buying the Mac OS Server will proceed to restore all your web sharing services. This adds a lot of value to your Mac for both short and long runs.
Run a Web Server Today
If you’re asking how does a web server fit on Mac, you can use this guide to answer the question. Following these steps will ensure that you get it up and running within a day. But for full-on websites, you need better web hosting services to fit high traffic volumes.
Do you need help with a web server for the Apple Mac? If so, you can contact us today and we’ll assist you to get started. Our lines are open and we hope to hear from you soon.
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×mountaindogmedia left the following comment on my post for installing Apache, PHP, and MySQL on Mac OS X:
Jason, have you tried a modified
Include
statement for virtual hosts to map a directory? So instead of /etc/apache2/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf
as indicated, one would use /etc/apache2/extra/vhosts/*.conf
and then just create a default.conf
for the first virtual host, and then add/edit/delete vhost files as needed. I think it would be easier to manage host files and changes.Indeed, mountaindogmedia, this is an easier way. In fact, this is the default configuration for many servers.
By default, the Apache Virtual Host configuration on Mac OS X is located in a single file:
/etc/apache2/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf
. You need to edit the Apache configuration to include this file and enable virtual hosts.Over the years, I have created many virtual hosts. Each time editing
httpd-vhosts.conf
. To mountaindogmedia's point, this becomes difficult to manage. Furthermore, Apache configurations often get reset when upgrading Mac OS X. In the same amount of steps (two), you can adopt a more manageable configuration.What are Virtual Hosts?
From the Apache Virtual Host documentation:
The term Virtual Host refers to the practice of running more than one web site on a single machine.
By default, the Apache configuration on Mac OS X serves files from
/Library/WebServer/Documents
accessed by the name locahost
. This is essentially a single site configuration. You could mimic multiple sites by creating subdirectories and access a site at localhost/somesite
.This is not ideal for several reasons. Primarily, we would rather access the site using a name like
somesite.local
. To do that, you need to configure virtual hosts.A Cleaner Configuration
Before I being, I assume you already installed and configured Apache on Mac OS X.
First, open the Terminal app and switch to the
root
user to avoid permission issues while running these commands.Edit the Apache configuration file:
Find the following line:
Below it, add the following line: Rainbow riches free spins slot.
This configures Apache to include all files ending in
.conf
in the /private/etc/apache2/vhosts/
directory. Now we need to create this directory. What camcorder for mac os.Create the default virtual host configuration file.
Add the following configuration:
I create this file to serve as the default virtual host. When Apache can not find a matching virtual host, it will use the first configuration. By prefixing this file with an underscore, Apache will include it first. Techincally this file is not needed as it simply repeats the configuraton already in
httpd.conf
. However, it provides a place to add custom configuration for the default virtual host (i.e. localhost
).Now you can create your first virtual host. The example below contains the virtual host configuration for my site. Of course, you will want to substitute jasonmccreary.me with your domain name.
Create the virtual host configuration file:
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Add the following configuration:
This
VirtualHost
configuration allows me to access my site from http://jasonmccreary.local for local development.Note: I use the extension local. This avoids conflicts with any real extensions and serves as a reminder I am developing in my local environment.
Note: The
Require all granted
configuration became available in Apache 2.4 which comes with Mac OS X Yosemite. If you are running a version of OS X before Yosemite, use the equivalent 2.2 configuration in the upgrading Apache examples.The final step is to restart Apache:
If you run into any problems, run:
This will test your Apache configuration and display any error messages.
Mapping the .local extension
In order to access sites locally you need to edit your hosts file.
Add a line to the bottom of this file for your virtual host. It should match the value you used for the
ServerName
configuration. For example, my site:I like to run the following to clear the local DNS cache:
Now you can access your site using the .local extension. For example, http://jasonmccreary.local.
A note about permissions
You may receive 403 Forbidden when you visit your local site. This is likely a permissions issue. Simply put, the Apache user (
_www
) needs to have access to read, and sometimes write, to your web directory.If you are not familiar with permissions, read more. For now though, the easiest thing to do is ensure your web directory has permissions of
755
. You can change permissions with the command:In my case, all my files were under my local
~/Documents
directory. Which by default is only readable by me. So I had to change permissions from my web directory all the way up to ~/Documents
to resolve the 403 Forbidden issue.Note: There are many ways to solve permission issues. I have provided this as the easiest solution, not the best.
In Closing
Web Hosting For Mac Users
Any time you want to add a site to Apache on your Mac, simply create a virtual host configuration file for that site and map it in your hosts file.
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