How to Update to PHP 8 in WAMP Server Localhost

Since PHP version 8 has been released recently and you as a developer want to put your hands on to the exiting journey of PHP version 8, you must be wondering how to upgrade to PHP 8 in WAMP server. This article with a YouTube video will guide you to update WAMP server to PHP version 8.

As you can understand, You can use PHP 5, PHP 7, PHP 8 in a single WAMP installation. Also you can use multiple version of PHP of same release like PHP 7.2 and PHP 7.4 within the same WAMP server installation. This is a nice way to work on multiple PHP version and you just have to select the needed PHP version in WAMP.

How to use virtual host in WAMP server in PC

Website development in local computer or PC has lots many configuration. Developers who are using WAMP (Apache, MySQL and PHP bundle for windows) server can develop the website by putting the project files into the WAMP installation folder which is most of the time:

c:\wamp\www\folder_name\

and you need to access your test site as:

http://localhost/folder_name

where the folder name is your project folder name where index.php file exists. As a developer you must have thought of accessing your site as a general URL and also keeping your project folder and files outside the WAMP directory. To accomplish this you need to setup the virtual host into the WAMP server and this blog describe details steps involved to accomplish the goal.

Setting up virtual host in WAMP server involves the below steps:

Configure Sendmail for WAMP and connect with Gmail in development

Have you installed WAMP into your PC for developing a website and looking for how to send email with it for testing your email feature is working or not? Continue reading this blog.

Unlike XAMP, WAMP does not come integrated with sendmail feature and thus you need to do something extra when you want to test your development waork in your local machiine. To configure WAMP for sending email you need to follow the below steps (assuming WAMP is already installed and working okay):

1. Download the Fake Sendmail for Windows.
2. Use Gmail or any other email account to configure the sendmail.
3. Change te Gmail setting to allow third party email sending feature.
4. Update the PHP.ini configuration for your website or WAMP server.

Here is the detail elaboration of the steps involved.