The term LAMP refers to a set of open source programs that are commonly used together to run dynamic websites.
- Linux – the operating system
- Apache – the web server
- MySQL – the database management system
- PHP – the programming language (sometimes Perl or Python)
When these programs are used together in a server environment, they form a solution stack that provides web developers a solid platform for building and deploying robust web applications.
Each program in the stack runs independently which makes it easy to manage. For example, if you need to configure or upgrade MySQL, the rest of the stack will continue to operate.
Of course you can add more programs to the stack; for example you may want to add an FTP server or a mail server, but those are not required to run a website and may hinder performance on your server.
Mario Seijo is a web designer and creative director for a Seattle-based web design studio, 
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-admin