Getting started with Server by Zaweba using the built-in help

First runs are where most people give up on a local server, usually somewhere between a port error and a hosts file they don't understand. Server by Zaweba has a Getting started window in the Help menu to get you past that point. It covers the first steps in order: start the services, make a site, and deal with the hosts file, or use the name.localhost alternative that needs no changes at all.

Step one, the services

The help starts with the services, because nothing else works without them. Choose Start all from the Services menu, or the Start buttons on the control panel cards, and watch the status lights. Apache serves your pages, MariaDB holds your databases and Mailpit catches mail. Before they start, the ports they need are checked. If another program already has one, Server by Zaweba tells you which program it is and offers a free port, and the other program is left alone.

Step two, a site

Next comes your first site. The new-site wizard asks for a name, a folder, the PHP version, and optionally HTTPS, a starter page and a database. The name becomes the address, so a site called shop becomes shop.test. For a first try, ticking the starter index.php is a good idea: it shows phpinfo, which proves PHP is running and tells you exactly how it is set up. A fresh start reaches a working page in a few steps.

Step three, the address

This is where the help is most useful, because it explains a choice newcomers rarely know they have. The name.test address needs a line in the Windows hosts file, a small system file that maps names to addresses on your PC. Server by Zaweba writes its lines in one marked block, after a plain-words explanation and one administrator prompt, using Tools, Update hosts or the Update the hosts file button.

If you can't or would rather not give administrator rights, use name.localhost instead. Edge, Chrome and Firefox send any name.localhost address to your own PC without a hosts entry, and every site answers on it. Settings lets you choose which of the two addresses the app shows and opens; both always work.

Where to go after the first site

Once a page loads, the rest of the app opens up. The PHP page changes settings and extensions for each version. The Databases page makes a database and user in one click and opens Adminer logged in. Mail sent by your PHP code appears on Mailpit's page rather than going out. The Logs page shows what went wrong when something does.

Local HTTPS is worth a look once the basics work. Switch it on for a site, then trust the app's local certificate authority once from the Tools menu, and Edge and Chrome will accept your local sites over https. Firefox keeps its own list and needs the authority imported by hand.

When the help isn't enough

If a light won't come on, read the last log lines on the service's card, then the Logs page. Services, Check ports shows whether a port is the issue. Most first-day problems turn out to be one of those two, and Server by Zaweba is built to name the cause in plain words rather than leave you guessing. Keep the Getting started window in mind for later too; it is a handy reminder when you set up the app on another PC.