Getting started with PHP, MySQL, and Laragon

7 min readMar 3, 2023

Getting started with web development can be a daunting task, especially for those new to programming. However, with the right tools and guidance, it can be an exciting and rewarding experience. In this article, we will guide you through the process of setting up a local web development environment using Laragon, an all-in-one development tool that simplifies the process of configuring web servers, databases, and other components. Specifically, we will focus on using Laragon to set up a PHP and MySQL development environment, two essential technologies for building dynamic web applications. By the end of this article, you will have a solid foundation for building your own PHP and MySQL-based web applications. So let’s dive in!

Section 1: Introduction to PHP, MySQL, and Laragon

Are you tired of writing tedious and repetitive code for your web development projects? Do you want to improve the performance of your website or web application? Well, say hello to PHP, MySQL, and Laragon!

PHP is a server-side scripting language that has been widely used for web development. MySQL is a popular open-source relational database management system that helps to store and manage data. Laragon is a powerful development environment that simplifies web development with PHP and MySQL.

In this article, we will take you through the basics of PHP, MySQL, and Laragon, and help you set up your development environment so you can start building amazing web applications in no time! So, let’s get started!

Section 2: Installing and Setting Up Laragon

Laragon is a user-friendly software for web developers that bundles Apache, PHP, MySQL, and other essential tools in one package. It is easy to install and use, making it a popular choice for both beginners and experienced developers.

To get started with Laragon, follow these simple steps:

Download and install Laragon from the official website.
Launch Laragon and select the version of PHP you want to use. You can choose from a variety of PHP versions, depending on your project requirements.
Choose the Apache version you want to use. You can select the latest version of Apache, or an older version if your project requires it.
Select the MySQL version you want to use. You can use the latest version of MySQL, or an older version if your project requires it.
Once you have selected the necessary versions, click the “Start All” button to start the servers.
Congratulations, you have successfully installed and set up Laragon on your machine!

Laragon also provides a user-friendly interface that allows you to manage your servers, databases, and projects easily. You can access the Laragon interface by clicking the Laragon icon in the system tray.

With Laragon, you can also install additional PHP extensions, Apache modules, and MySQL plugins easily, making it a powerful tool for web development.

Overall, Laragon is an excellent choice for web developers who want a quick and easy way to set up a development environment. With its intuitive interface and powerful features, it can help you build better websites and web applications in no time.

Section 3: Creating a new PHP project

Once you have Laragon up and running, creating a new PHP project is a breeze. Here’s how you can do it:

Click on the “Quick app” button on the Laragon dashboard.
Select “Create new PHP project”.
Enter a name for your project.
Choose the PHP version you want to use.
Click “Create”.

That’s it! Laragon will automatically set up a new directory for your project and configure the necessary files and settings for you.

Connecting to MySQL

If your PHP project requires a database, you’ll need to connect to MySQL. Fortunately, Laragon makes this easy as well. Here’s how to do it:

Click on the “Menu” button in the Laragon dashboard.
Select “MySQL” > “mysql-xxx” (where xxx is the version of MySQL you have installed).
Enter the root password you set during the installation process.
You should now see a MySQL console window open up. Congratulations, you’ve successfully connected to your MySQL database!

Section 4: Writing PHP code and connecting to MySQL database

Once you have set up your project and created your database, it’s time to start writing some PHP code and connecting it to your MySQL database. Here are the steps to get started:

Open your code editor and navigate to the root folder of your project in the Laragon www directory.
Create a new PHP file and save it with a .php extension, for example, index.php.
Open the newly created PHP file and add the following code to connect to your MySQL database:

Replace the yourusername, yourpassword, and yourdbname placeholders with your MySQL database credentials.

Save the file and open it in your browser by navigating to http://localhost/your-project-name/index.php.
If everything is set up correctly, you should see a message saying “Connected successfully” in your browser.
You can now start writing PHP code to interact with your MySQL database. For example, you can use SQL queries to retrieve data from your database, insert new data, or update existing data.

This code will retrieve all the rows from the users table and display them in the browser.

Congratulations! You have successfully connected to your MySQL database and written some PHP code to retrieve data. You can now start building more complex applications using PHP and MySQL.

Section 5: Running and Testing the PHP Project

Now that we have created our PHP project and written some code, it’s time to test it out. Laragon makes it easy to run and test our project locally before we deploy it to a live server.

To run our PHP project, we need to start the Apache and MySQL services in Laragon. To do this, simply click the Start All button in the Laragon dashboard. Once the services are running, we can open our project in a web browser by typing “localhost” in the address bar.

If we have created an index.php file in the project’s root directory, it should automatically load in the browser. If not, we can manually navigate to it by typing “localhost/yourprojectname” in the address bar.

Once our project is running, we can test the functionality by interacting with it in the web browser. For example, if we have created a form that accepts user input and saves it to the database, we can fill out the form and submit it to see if the data is being stored correctly.

We can also use debugging tools to identify and fix any errors or bugs in our code. Laragon comes with Xdebug, a popular PHP debugger that allows us to step through our code line by line and see the values of variables at each step.

In addition to testing our project in the browser, we can also use tools like Postman to test our API endpoints and ensure that they are returning the expected data.

By thoroughly testing our PHP project, we can catch any issues early on and ensure that it is functioning properly before deploying it to a live server.

Section 6: Best Practices

Use version control: Git is a popular version control system that can be integrated with Laragon to keep track of changes to your project’s codebase.
Use object-oriented programming (OOP): OOP allows you to write more organized and reusable code. PHP supports OOP, so take advantage of it.
Keep your code clean and well-organized: Writing clean and well-organized code makes it easier to maintain and update your project.
Validate and sanitize user input: Always validate and sanitize user input to prevent security vulnerabilities and ensure data integrity.
Use prepared statements to prevent SQL injection: Prepared statements prevent SQL injection attacks by separating SQL code from user input.
Optimize database queries: Optimize your database queries to improve the performance of your application.
Keep your software up to date: Keep Laragon, PHP, and MySQL up to date with the latest security patches and bug fixes.
Use a framework: PHP frameworks like Laravel, CodeIgniter, and Symfony provide a structured way to build web applications, and can save time and effort.
By following these best practices, you can ensure that your PHP, MySQL, and Laragon projects are secure, maintainable, and scalable.

Conclusion and Further Resources

By now, you should have a good understanding of how to get started with PHP, MySQL, and Laragon. These tools are essential for any web developer looking to build dynamic web applications, and with the right approach, you can leverage their power to create amazing projects.

Remember, when working with PHP and MySQL, it’s important to follow best practices such as using prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks, and sanitizing user input to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

If you want to continue learning more about PHP and MySQL, there are plenty of resources available online. The official PHP documentation is a great place to start, as is the MySQL documentation. You can also find many tutorials and courses on websites like Udemy, Codecademy, and Coursera.

In addition, Laragon has an active community of users who are always willing to help newcomers. The Laragon forums are a great place to ask for advice and get help with any issues you may encounter.

In conclusion, PHP, MySQL, and Laragon are powerful tools for building dynamic web applications. With a little bit of practice and the right resources, you can become a proficient developer in no time. Good luck on your coding journey!

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Happy coding! 💻✨