Installing A Local Server for PHP | PHP Tutorial | Learn PHP Programming | PHP for Beginners. In this PHP tutorial you will learn how to install a local server on your computer. Installing a local server is fast, easy, and doesn't harm you computer in any way. To install a local server we will need to install a small software, and while there are many to choose from, I have chosen the one called XAMPP. XAMPP works on both PC, Mac, and Linux, and in order to avoid compatibility issues or errors with the server we are working on, I recommend that you use the same software we use in the tutorial.