Installing Drupal on Windows for local usage

When developing and running Drupal, you need a so-called AMP stack. AMP stands for "Apache, PHP & MySQL", but other web servers may be used instead of Apache, and other database servers may be used instead of MySql.

Container-based development environments

It is recommended to use DDEV, a Docker-based environment, for Drupal development on Windows. Docker provides containers that allow us to package applications, with all of their dependencies, in isolation from the host operating system and each other. There are other Docker-based development environments you could use.

Bare metal development environments

In some cases you may wish to install the AMP stack directly in the Windows operating system, as Windows binaries. There are packages available that include a web server, PHP, database server and some other components in one easy download.

These environments can be more straightforward to install and manage, especially on Windows and for non-developers. But they lack the flexibility of a Docker-based environment, especially if you develop multiple sites with varying requirements. And sometimes the performance of these Windows binaries is worse than the Linux counterpart in a container.

Installers that include Drupal

• AMPPS - Includes Softaculous Auto Installer to install Drupal.
• Bitnami package for Drupal - Requires separate hypervisor software such as VMware Player or VirtualBox.

Installers without Drupal

After installing an AMP stack using a package such as those listed below, follow the instructions in the Drupal installation guide.

• EasyPHP Devserver - Includes both Apache and Nginx.
• Wamp.NET - Includes both Apache and Nginx, and both Mysql and MariaDB.
• WampServer - Includes both MySql and MariaDB.
• XAMPP - Includes MariaDB but no MySQL. Add-ons are available, including Drupal.