Running as a non-admin user

[artisteacher]

Hi! I'm a teacher using Xampp with some of my classes as a local web host for testing websites with PHP and/or a CMS. It's working well overall so far, except whenever manager-osx is opened to start the server & database, it always asks for an admin password. Obviously the kids don't have admin privileges. It is the worst. While I do have certain admin privileges, it really slows down the start of class needing to put in my username/password for every single student. It just isn't sustainable. While fortunately it is not the case right now, I can have multiple classes with up to 22 kids. That's potentially about a third of the period to just get everyone started...

The computers have to be signed out between users, if that matters.

After a lot of Googling on both our parts, my tech department has tried a few things. They tried a higher port for Apache and creating/adding the org.apachefriends.xampp.plist (from the How-to docs) to the Library/LaunchDaemons directory. Both have no obvious effect. Adding a plist to Library/LaunchAgents & enabling Xampp as a login item does something - but a password is still requested. Nothing is working. I am really, really tired of putting my password in for each person every single time we start.

Is there actually a way that is current for macOS 13+ to start the Apache server & the database without needing an admin password? If so, what does it really take to get this working?

Any recommendations would be appreciated!

[Nobbie]

Servers are not meant to be shutdown and restartet daily or similar. You should run it 24/7.

[artisteacher]

Yes, I know - we really don’t want to keep starting/stopping. However we haven’t been able to get the server/database just running in the background. We can’t figure out how to do this, which is why I am asking. Individual users sign out but the computers usually run all week.

[Nobbie]

Why cant you run the database 24/7?

There is no way to bypass login as admin/root, as Apache as well as Mysql needs to run with root priviliges.

[artisteacher]

Because we don't know how to run it 24/7? That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out how to do, but nothing we have tried works.

When anyone tries to open manager-osx (and I put in my password), so that they can start the server and database, it only seems to last until they sign out of their account. When someone else signs in - or they sign in again later, the server/databases are stopped and need to be restarted - even when they were left running.

[Nobbie]

All servers can be started natively via terminal commands, read the documentation. Manager-osx is only a GUI for beginners, normally sysadmins do not use such tools. Start Apache and Mysql as daemons, MacOs provides launchd service for installing daemons.