As a developer or IT professional, you likely encounter abbreviations like LAMP, LEMP or MEAN regularly. But what do these obscure acronyms actually stand for?
Simply put, these terms refer to assemblages of software that provide integrated environments for building, running and hosting web apps. Getting the right stacks implemented can be make-or-break for delivering performant sites.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll unpack the meaning and components of these critical web development stacks so you can utilize them effectively.
The web stacks we’ll cover include:
- LAMP – Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP
- LEMP – Linux, Nginx, MySQL, PHP
- MEAN – MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, Node.js
- XAMPP – Cross-platform, Apache, MySQL, PHP, Perl
- WAMP – Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP
- AMPPS – Apache, MySQL, MongoDB, PHP, Perl, Python
Let’s explore what each of these stacks is, how they work and where you can host them.
LAMP Stack
The LAMP stack is the most common set of web technologies used today – making up over 60% of all sites. The abbreviated name refers to:
- Linux – The operating system
- Apache – The web server software
- MySQL – The relational database system
- PHP – The backend programming language
These open source components work seamlessly together to provide all the core functionality needed for building dynamic websites and web apps.
Fun Fact: Over 227 million sites run on LAMP technologies currently!
A Look at LAMP‘s Origins
The LAMP stack traces its roots back to 1995, when the Apache Foundation released the first version of the Apache HTTP web server. This provided a free, open alternative to proprietary web servers from vendors like Netscape and Microsoft.
When MySQL and PHP emerged in the subsequent years, developers realized they could be combined with Apache on Linux to form a complete set of tools for delivering web apps.
This powerful but freely available software bundle sparked a movement toward open source web technologies that took off like wildfire. Within a decade, LAMP grew into the go-to "stack" for an entire generation of new websites and web applications.
Now decades later, LAMP remains a tried-and-true platform for all kinds of sites – from small blogs to giants like Facebook and Wikipedia.
A Closer Look at Each Component
Let‘s briefly break down the purpose of each tool in the LAMP line-up:
Linux
The Linux operating system provides the foundation and resources needed for the stack. Some favored Linux distros for LAMP include Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL and CentOS.
Apache
The Apache HTTP web server receives incoming requests from web browsers and serves back the requested assets – like HTML files, images, CSS stylesheets or JS scripts. For dynamic PHP pages, Apache hands processing to the PHP software before delivering rendered HTML to the browser.
Some key Apache features:
- Handles concurrent requests efficiently
- Virtual hosting for running multiple sites
- Secure HTTP/2 support
- Extensive configuration with
.htaccess
MySQL
MySQL refers to a relational database management system (RDBMS) that stores, organizes and provides access to dynamic data for a web application. It handles inserting, accessing and updating info in database tables using SQL syntax.
Major strengths include:
- Handles relational data models well
- Provides ACID compliance for data integrity
- Highly performant database operations
- Flexible access control and user permissions
- Robust support for transactions
PHP
PHP is a backend scripting language processed by Apache to generate dynamic page content on the fly. PHP code can perform tasks like:
- Connect and query the MySQL db
- Process submitted form data
- Construct HTML to display
- Interact with APIs and more
PHP continues to succeed based on:
- Ease of getting started
- Seamless connections to most SQL databases
- Broad library/framework ecosystem
- Embeddable within HTML
Together, these four components establish a flexible framework for delivering all kinds of powerful web applications.
Where to Host LAMP
When it comes time deploy a LAMP-stack web project, what hosting options exist?
Some top LAMP hosting solutions include:
Shared Hosting
Most shared hosting plans like HostGator or Bluehost come pre-configured with Apache, MySQL and PHP. Cost-effective for smaller LAMP sites.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Easy setup
- Managed services
Cons
- Resource throttling
- Limited scalability
VPS Hosting
Virtual private servers via DigitalOcean, Linode or Vultr allocate guaranteed resources for medium traffic LAMP sites.
Pros:
- Predictable performance
- Direct server access
- Vertical & horizontal scaling
Cons:
- Manual admin required
- No built-in backups
Dedicated Servers
A dedicated physical server from AWS or Rackspace provides high performance hosting for enterprise-level LAMP apps.
Pros:
- Maximum power
- Total control
- Top security
Cons:
- Higher costs
- Expert management needed
Managed Cloud Hosting
Platforms like AWS Lightsail or Google App Engine simplify deploying LAMP stacks on cloud infrastructure.
Pros:
- Streamlined provisioning
- Built-in scaling
- High availability
Cons:
- Can get expensive
- Vendor lock-in
For most average traffic LAMP sites, shared hosts and VPS plans tend to provide the best blend of affordability and capabilities.
LEMP Stack
Very similar to LAMP, the LEMP stack substitutes the Nginx (pronounced “engine-x”) web server in place of Apache, forming the acronym:
- Linux – The operating system
- Nginx – The high-efficiency web server
- MySQL – The database management system
- PHP – Backend programming language
Compared to the battle-tested LAMP configuration, LEMP is considerably newer. It emerged onto the scene in the early 2010s – driven by fast-growing sites needing greater scale, speed and agility in their server infrastructure.
Sites that adopted LEMP early on included WordPress.com, Netflix, and Medium. LEMP provided a next-gen stack architected for the modern web.
Nginx vs. Apache
So what prompted sites to switch from tried-and-true Apache to the upstart Nginx? Performance and efficiency.
While Apache utilizes a threaded, synchronous architecture, Nginx leverages asynchronous, event-driven logic to attain much higher throughput and lower latency.
Some key advantages Nginx holds over Apache:
- Up to 10X faster throughput for static content
- Uses less memory with a lighter process model
- Superior handling of concurrent connections
- Better resilience against DDoS/botnet attacks
- Leaner and more configurable
Plus Nginx makes it easier to deploy modern capabilities like:
- HTTP/2 support
- Dynamic caching
- Microservices
- API gateways
- Containerization integration
These technical differentiators have established Nginx as the fastest growing web server – used today on over 450 million sites and domains globally.
Where to Host LEMP
Many of the same hosting solutions available for LAMP sites also apply for LEMP:
Shared Hosting
Entry-level shared plans rarely support Nginx yet. Better for small LAMP-based sites.
Cloud VPS
Scalable cloud platforms like DigitalOcean, Linode and Vultr allow full LEMP customization.
Dedicated Hardware
Bare-metal servers provide ultimate flexibility for tailored LEMP deployments.
Managed Kubernetes
Container orchestrators like AWS ECS streamline scaling containerized LEMP stacks.
With its advantages in speed, security and modern capabilities, LEMP continues to expand its foothold – now estimated to run on over 30% of all sites globally.
MEAN Stack
The MEAN stack represents an entirely JavaScript-driven replacement for traditional software bundles like LAMP or LEMP. The abbreviated name here refers to:
- MongoDB – The NoSQL document database
- Express – The web application framework for Node.js
- Angular – The frontend JavaScript framework
- Node.js – The JavaScript runtime environment
First formulated in 2010, the MEAN stack taps into the soaring popularity of JavaScript to deliver a modern full-stack completely built using JS technologies.
Benefits this approach brings includes:
✅ Consistent use of JS across frontend and backend
✅ tapped into talent pool of 6 million JavaScript devs!
✅ Single language improves velocity
✅ JSON-based data works seamlessly
✅ Sky-high scalability potential
The MEAN stack introduced a vastly more agile and iterative approach compared to traditional stacks. Its component parts also happen to be extremely well-suited for cloud-native deployment.
Collectively, these attributes make MEAN extremely appealing for today’s web – demonstrated by meteoric usage growth since its inception.
MongoDB + NoSQL
A notable departure MEAN takes from LAMP is swapping relational databases for an alternative known as NoSQL.
MongoDB specifically provides a document-based database built to scale out linearly across distributed systems. Unlike tabular SQL stores, MongoDB employs JSON document structures with dynamic schemas.
Some capabilities this NoSQL model empowers includes:
From a development perspective, MongoDB’s use of JSON docs maps cleanly to JavaScript – making for fluid data integrations. Dynamic schemas also facilitate rapid iteration.
For these reasons, NoSQL adoption has mirrored JavaScript’s meteoric rise:
As you can see, the MEAN stack presents a radically fresh take on web development compared toPHP+MySQL-based predecessors.
Where to Host MEAN
Many dedicated hosting providers exist catering specifically to MEAN stack hosting – like Atlas, mLab and ObjectRocket.
These platforms stand-up all MEAN components in optimized configurations out-of-the-box. Auto-scaling, backup services and dedicated MEAN management resources often included.
For more custom infrastructures, cloud platforms like AWS, Google Cloud and Azure offer building blocks for creating tailored MEAN deployments atop virtual machines, serverless tools and containers.
MEAN’s incredible scalability makes cloud-hosting a natural fit – especially utilizing containers and Functions-as-a-Service approaches on Kubernetes and serverless platforms.
XAMPP Stack
XAMPP represents an easy-to-install bundle packaging up the typical *AMP components into a single local development environment. Specifically:
- X – Works cross-platform on Windows, Linux & MacOS
- Apache – The web server software
- MariaDB – Open source relational database
- PHP – Backend scripting language
- Perl – Alternative scripting language
Developed by Apache Friends, XAMPP makes spinning up a test server incredibly simple – perfect for mocking back-ends during site building.
With just a few clicks, it handles:
✅ Installing Apache, MariaDB, PHP on your OS
✅ Starting up all services
✅ Creating MySQL test databases/users
✅ Configuring everything to work together
Allowing you to just:
- Download & run XAMPP installer
- Place site files in
htdocsfolder - Access locally via
localhost
XAMPP also includes addons like phpMyAdmin for database GUIs and testing tools like Mercury Mail Server.
Overall, it provides an invaluable tool for smoothing PHP/MySQL web development on local machines before final project deployment.
WAMP Stack
Similar to a LAMP stack, WAMP refers to running the same four components exclusively on Windows:
- W – Windows as the operating system
- A – Apache as the web server
- M – MySQL as the database
- P – PHP as the application language
Aside from swapping Linux for Windows, WAMP incorporates the same functionality for dynamic PHP-based development – just tailored for Windows environments.
Just like XAMPP, WAMP simplifies installing a local test server for site building and coding. Out-of-the-box compatibility with Windows means faster startup and fewer hiccups working within Windows machines.
Popular WAMP distributions include WampServer, XAMPP for Windows and Bitnami WAMP Stack.
AMPPS Stack
The AMPPS stack combines elements of WAMP (Windows), MAMP (Mac OS) and LAMP/LEMP (Linux) bundles into one unified package.
Key components provided:
- Apache
- MySQL
- MongoDB
- PHP
- Perl
- Python
- phpMyAdmin
- SQLite
Bundled together by Softaculous, AMPPS comes pre-loaded with over 125+ open source apps like WordPress, Magento and Joomla pre-configured.
Its cross-platform nature allows smooth development across Windows, MacOS and Linux environments. The web-based control panel also streamlines:
- Creating sites
- Managing databases
- Configuring software
- Monitoring services
- Accessing logs
In total, AMPPS contains 400+ software packages for instant access – making it an unparalleled development toolkit right out of the box.
Choosing Your Web Stack
When assessing which stack best fits your web project needs, consider factors like:
Performance Requirements
Matching stack capabilities to traffic demands and speed requirements.
Scalability Needs
Selecting components capable of scaling adaptable to growth.
App Complexity
Opting for flexibility needed to deliver all features envisioned.
Team Skillsets
Aligning stacks to the experience level of developers involved.
Budget Parameters
Balancing capabilities against infrastructure costs.
For a balanced set of technologies powering sites of all sizes, LAMP remains a rock-solid choice.
MEAN provides a cutting-edge modern stack optimized for scale and innovation.
And simplified bundles like XAMPP, WAMP and AMPPS smooth backend development dramatically.
Now that you know what all these web acronyms comprise – you can start architecting stacks tailored perfectly to your next web project!
