Apache Friends Support Forum

hi guys, i need some help.
i have been using xampp localy for a long time. i was using it for the development of websites.

however i now want to make the server public, just like webservers provided by hosting providers. So when some1 visits my ip he gets to see my website hosted on xampp.

i tried different things i found on google but nothing helped. right now when someone tries to access my ip he\she gets a password popup and after loging in end at the xampp page (http://external-ip/xampp/).

hope some1 can help me out.

Are you fully aware of the security implications both for you and for others that may be affected on the Internet by opening up your XAMPP server to the Internet and those clever little script kiddies?

The readme_en.txt file comments on the implied use of XAMPP and does not recommend it's use as a production web server but only, as you have already been using it, for local development because it has been compiled with very limited security features that allow local developers to go ahead unhindered.

If you still insist on doing this rather than finding some cheap (even free) hosting service then simply replace the index.php and the index.html in the htdocs folder with your own files.

Good luck.

I have a similar request as I would like to be able to give access to a colleague in another country ‘temporary’ access to a site/system running on my localhost I don’t intent to leave this up for long so not worried about security on an ongoing basis, with this in mind is there a way of configuring Windows 7/XAMPP to be accessible to the outside world?

The solution for you is the same.

Simply remove the 2 index files from the htdocs folder and put your site and it's index file in there and then give your ISP given IP address to your user and make sure the firewall will allow access to port 80 and port 443, also 3306 if you have a database.
http\\your ip\ should allow access by default.

You can find your IP by going to Start>Run...
Then type ipconfig at the command > prompt.