So here is my new little gem that I have been using as of late.  With a pretty crazy development schedule over the next couple of months, I have been looking for a very simple solution to keep things running locally.   There are several ways to go about keeping a server live, but this is by far the most simple solution.

 MAMP [ Macintosh, Apache, Mysql and PHP ]

Download the rather beefy download (130 MB) and just drag it into your Applications folder, and you are ready to roll.  And yes, this is a Mac only treat.  If you are not in the club, I am sorry, but you had a choice…and you bought a PC.  

Whether you are wanting to develop web projects locally, or maybe just run a Wordpress install on your computer for journalling purposes, this is a great free tool to check out.

Get MAMP.