Leopard: Install Local Wordpress using MAMP

Contributor Icon Contributed by davak Date Icon January 27, 2008  
Tag Icon Tagged: Mac OS X Leopard

Installing a local version of wordpress is very easy using MAMP. In fact, the configuration and installation is quicker than downloading the packages. Let’s get started…


Previously I have described how to manually install wordpress and mysql locally on a leopard box. With a failed step or two, the manual installation can be ugly very quickly. MightQ suggested MAMP.

MAMP + WP on leopard is less graceful but much, much easier.

1. Download MAMP
2. While you are installing MAMP, Download WP
3. Mount the MAMP dmg and drag the folder into your applications directory. No not use a subdirectory.
4. You can turn on the mysql and apache servers through installing the widget into your dashboard or by clicking the MAMP application. Start the servers now.

5. Click the Open start page button
6. The Welcome to MAMP page should open. You should record your mysql information that will look similar to this…


To connect to the MySQL Server from your own scripts use the following connection parameters:

Host: localhost
[Port: 8889]
User: root
Password: root

7. Click the phpMyAdmin link at the top of that page.

8. In phpMyAdmin Create new database named “wordpress” (or whatever) and hit the Create button

9. Uncompress and place your downloaded wordpress installation and in a subfolder of your htdocs folder in the MAMP install. In the example below I used a folder named techrx. I will assume that you will use the name “blog” for the purposes of this tutorial.

10. In your wp install, right-click (ctrl-click) on the wp-config-sample.php file and open it in textedit (or your favorite editor of choice)
11. Change the config file to match your mysql settings above. If you named your database something other than wordpress, then use that name instead.

// ** MySQL settings ** //
define('DB_NAME', 'wordpress'); // The name of the database
define('DB_USER', 'root'); // Your MySQL username
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'root'); // ﾉand password
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost:8889'); //

12. Important to save this file to a new file named wp-config.php

13. Point your browser to http://localhost:8888/blog to start the initiation of your wp install.

(If you placed wp in a different directory, you would replace blog with the name you picked. I used techrx, for example.)

14. Record your temp admin password to log into your install. Change this login password to something easy to remember once you login.

15. Now when you visit http://localhost:8888/blog it should be pointed to your local wp installation.

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  • Anonymous
    steps 1-12 were easy, and helpful to boot, however, it all starts falling apart for me after that (':('). Regardless of where I set wp-config.php I get a 404 Not Found error- and a "wp-config.php file. I need this before we can get started." error when running "wp-admin/install.php" to boot!

    I do get a mishmash browser page when running "install.php"- and a password o I get stuck here. I know that maybe I should be asking for help somewhere else, but, really since being confused by multiple guides to attempt to install WP on Os X including (http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/2618/os_x_easily...) I thought I'd go to you, since you've written the best guide I've found.

    Thanks for any pointers you may have and for your postin- kep them coming! :D
  • Anonymous
    My bad. There is a reason why you should not attempt to operate moving vehicles or any other fat device when you are sleep deprived. Woke up this morning after catching up on my zzzz's and discovered that I had not followed the steps as I should.

    If you follow this guide to the "T" it works great- even for a WP newbie like me. Great post, thanks again

    TomTomm
  • Thanks so much for this guide. It's simple, quick, and totally effective. I really appreciate your help and how easy MAMP makes this whole process.
  • My pleasure. I use MAMP on my MBP everyday. I love it.
  • Thanks for the guide. I followed it and I achieve my goal!!
  • Woo-hoo. Enjoy your wordpress installation!
  • This was helpful but didn't work exactly this way on MAC OS 10.5

    Instead I moved the Blog/Wordpress install to my "Sites" directory rather than HTDOCS and then simply pointed my browser to http://localhost/blog.

    Then it worked perfectly.
  • jeroen
    MAMP install and dbasecreation no problem. But can't make a connection with wordpress. Either in htdocs or sites dir. http://localhost/wordpress says it exists but can'm make connection. Localhost:8888 makes no dif. Using OSX 10.5.8 Any suggestions?
  • Ed
    you just saved me. i was having a problem figuring out were to take care of the database creation. i was always getting an database error.
    It works now. Thanks :)
  • sebastian
    what about getting the mail function to work when using mamp. when i test for a new user to register it sayssending email but never sends it. how do i fix this?
  • Great guide! :)

    Just what I needed. Thanks.
  • Hank Paulson
    Fantastic. Up and running in a few minutes, thanks for posting this great resource.
  • thanks for this - up and running in just a few minutes - worked perfectly.
  • Thank you mate. It is time to build my first web site now :)
  • Great guide - better than that on the Wordpress site. Thanks a lot!
  • Anonymous
    I have never done this before - but it was easy to understand and to follow - well done!
    Thanks!
  • Hayden
    Quality article, MAMP works like a charm. Thanks.
  • Good job with the tutorial. After installing Joomla on MAMP, I thought wordpress would be just as easy. It was, but just a tad different.
  • diss
    Bang on!!!

    I scratched my brain for an hour looking at the config.sys file. I tried everything and nothing. I have had issues before with non-root usernames etc. But your post and copy and paste and Im past all that and on the road forward.
  • cmode
    I just read this tutorial and these are better instructions than what's on wordpress. however, I already installed mamp and wp using those instructions and now that I view my blog, its only viewable when I go to http://localhost:8888/ and not
    http://localhost:8888/nameofmyblog

    what did I do wrong in the setup?
  • perfect!


    tnxz!!!!
  • Ana
    Thank you! This worked perfectly.
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