Apache Friends Support Forum

My primary interest is in installing MySQL to use for learning and development purposes in a Windows enviroment. If I use Xampp, do I effectively get a MySQL installation that I can use independently of Apache and the other components, or is the MySQL in Xampp solely accessible through the Apache links? Would I be better off looking for a Windows version of MySQL alone instead?

Thanks,

XAMPP Provide you with 4 independant servers which you could install separately (not using XAMPP) or together as part of the XAMPP bundle. The reason for the bundle is that the functionality privided by the four servers is the basis for running an interactive website.
Apache - HTTP Web server
MySQL - Database
Filezilla - FTP Server
Mercury - Mail server

If you are only interested in a database then the Windows binary install of MySQL would be a good option. If you also have secondary interest in running a website or developing a browser based interface to your application and you would like to use Apache then the XAMPP package becomes the more attractive option.

As a result of the packaging, easy installation, control panel etc personally I would install XAMPP if I thought that I might have use for either Apache or MySQL and one of the other servers. If my interest would be limited to one server only, I would install that server standalone instead.

Just to make sure I correctly understand you: you're saying that after installing the full bundle of Xampp servers, I can choose to run whichever one I want without regard to whether the others are running at the same time, right? (Assumming, of course, that my application doesn't require one of the others to be running simultaneously.)

Thanks for the information,

Correct - Independently. You can run any of the 4 servers independently of each other. Either installed as a service(s) or running on an ad-hoc basis when you require them.