---
title: "How to set up a local web development environment using MAMP PRO"
url: https://themodernweb.co.uk/2017/02/set-up-local-web-development-environment-using-mamp-pro/
description: "A beginner-oriented walkthrough for preparing a local Mac development environment with MAMP PRO."
published: 2017-02-01
updated: 2017-02-01
---

# How to set up a local web development environment using MAMP PRO

Published 2017-02-01

## [February 2017](https://themodernweb.co.uk/2017/02/)

Filed under: [Tutorials](https://themodernweb.co.uk/category/web-development/tutorials/), [Web Development](https://themodernweb.co.uk/category/web-development/)

A beginner-oriented walkthrough for preparing a local Mac development environment with MAMP PRO.

## Why work locally at all

Editing files directly on a live server is fast until the moment it is catastrophic. A local environment means every change is tested somewhere private first, and a mistake costs a page refresh rather than a public outage.

It also means you can work on a train. That is a smaller argument than it sounds until the first time it matters.

## What the stack consists of

A local web stack is a web server, a database and a scripting language running together on your own machine. MAMP PRO bundles those into a single application with a control panel, which removes most of the configuration work that used to be the barrier for people coming from design rather than systems administration.

## Setting up a host

The workflow is short. Create a host, point it at the folder holding the site files, choose the document root, and start the servers. MAMP PRO can map a readable local hostname to the project rather than a port number, which makes it far easier to keep several projects straight.

For a database-backed site, create the database through the bundled administration tool and note the credentials somewhere sensible before configuring the site to use them.

## Keeping local and live in step

The most common source of confusion is a site whose stored URLs still point at the live domain, so a local copy quietly loads live assets. Checking the configured site URL after every database import saves a lot of confused debugging.

It is also worth matching the language and database versions your host actually runs. A local environment that is two major versions ahead will happily accept code that the production server rejects.

Next entry: [Showcase: Solve your Git errors with ohshitgit.com](https://themodernweb.co.uk/2017/02/solve-your-git-errors-oh-shit-git/)

Previous entry: [SCSS Mixins: 5 awesome and creative examples](https://themodernweb.co.uk/2017/02/scss-mixins-5-awesome-examples/)

Back to [February 2017](https://themodernweb.co.uk/2017/02/) or the [front page](https://themodernweb.co.uk/).