ServBay vs XAMPP
In the field of web development, choosing an appropriate local development environment tool is crucial. Whether you are a PHP developer, a Node.js developer, or need to perform web development on macOS, ServBay and XAMPP are common choices. Today, we will delve into the comparison between ServBay and XAMPP to help you make an informed decision.
Strong Reasons to Choose ServBay
Pricing and Hosting Features
The free version of ServBay supports up to 5 hosts (websites) and offers unrestricted functionality, whereas XAMPP does not support multi-hosting (multiple websites). Additionally, ServBay’s professional version allows an unlimited number of custom domains and multiple domains/aliases, which is a feature missing in XAMPP. ServBay’s SSL support and local private CA further solidify its position as a safer and more flexible option.
Programming Languages and Web Servers
ServBay has the upper hand when it comes to supporting programming languages. It supports multiple PHP versions simultaneously, from 5.6 to 8.4, with instant switching capability—something not available in XAMPP. Furthermore, ServBay also supports Node.js, enabling instant switching between versions 12 and 22, while XAMPP does not support this. Although XAMPP supports Apache HTTPd, its complex Rewrite rules and .htaccess configuration can be daunting. ServBay uses the more modern and popular Caddy and will soon support NGINX, offering web developers more flexibility in choosing web servers.
Database Support
In terms of database support, ServBay also outshines XAMPP. It supports multiple MariaDB versions (from 10.4 to 11.5) and PostgreSQL versions (from 10 to 16) with instant switching. This feature is noticeably absent in XAMPP, which only offers MariaDB version 10.4. ServBay also supports Redis, SQLite 3, and Memcached, whereas XAMPP does not.
Unique Features and Tools
ServBay’s unique features include support for multiple PHP and Node.js versions, quick version switching, local DNS, and an independent developer package for secondary compilation and expansion of ServBay. It stands out, particularly due to its extensive support for market software packages. Moreover, ServBay’s tools include phpMyAdmin, Adminer, Composer, npm, pnpm, yarn, providing a more comprehensive environment than XAMPP.
Support for Common PHP Modules and Modern Frameworks
ServBay provides a wider range of commonly used PHP modules, such as xDebug, opcache, scws, and modules for MongoDB, Redis, and Memcached, many of which are not supported by XAMPP. Additionally, ServBay natively supports modern frameworks like Phalcon and Swoole, ensuring you can use the latest technology stack for development.
Introduction to XAMPP
XAMPP is a widely used cross-platform development environment tool that supports PHP and MySQL. While it has some recognition within the developer community, its management interface is simple, lacks graphical configuration support, and its functionality is very limited. XAMPP only supports single-version PHP, does not support multiple websites, and cannot meet the everyday development needs of web developers.
Comparison Between ServBay and XAMPP
| Feature/Characteristic | ServBay | XAMPP |
|---|---|---|
| Environment Setup | Easy and Quick | Manual Configuration |
| Multi-version Support | Multiple versions of PHP, Node.js coexist | Single PHP version |
| Team Collaboration | Batch configuration deployment, environment locking | None |
| Graphical Interface | Professional | Simple |
| Database | Free | Free |
| DNS Service | Supported | Not Supported |
| SSL Certificate | Supported | Not Supported |
| Pricing | Free/$99 per year | Free |
Advantages of ServBay
Comprehensive Service Support
ServBay supports not only web servers and various programming languages (PHP, Node.js) and databases (SQL and NoSQL), but also supports DNS servers, mail servers, and tunnel services for intranet penetration. It is a complete macOS development environment solution.
Custom Domains and Free SSL
ServBay allows users to customize domains and supports free SSL certificates, ensuring the security and professionalism of the development environment. In contrast, XAMPP does not support custom domains or SSL certificates.
Simplified Rewrite Configuration
ServBay provides a more modern Caddy as a web server, allowing you to manage and configure your web service without writing complex Rewrite and .htaccess rules.
Support for Modern Frameworks
ServBay natively supports modern frameworks like Phalcon and Swoole, ensuring you can use the latest technology stack for development, whereas XAMPP is lacking in this area.
Advanced Features
ServBay offers quick launch operations, command line interface support, unified service management, and advanced features like proxy for Docker and Node.js applications, further enhancing the development experience. Whether you are quickly starting a new project or managing existing ones, ServBay provides an efficient solution.
Share to Team Feature
ServBay’s unique feature allows you to share the current project with remote colleagues, enabling them to collaborate as if they were local, thus eliminating the need to seize the test environment for team collaboration.
User Testimonials
A, Senior Developer:
“I used to use XAMPP, but it had limitations with version switching and database support. ServBay’s multi-version support and rich database options allow me to handle various project requirements more flexibly.”
S, Freelancer:
“I need to switch between multiple projects, and XAMPP's single version support was inconvenient. ServBay's multi-version coexistence and rapid switching features enable me to efficiently manage development environments for different projects.”
L, Startup CTO:
“Our team needed a unified development environment, and XAMPP couldn't meet our requirements in this regard. ServBay's batch configuration and environment locking features ensured consistency in our team’s development environment, greatly enhancing our work efficiency.”
Detailed Feature Comparison Between ServBay and XAMPP
| Features\Products | ServBay | ServBay Pro | XAMPP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | |||||
| Pricing | free | $99 | free | ||
| Free version | 5 hosts, Ulimited functions | / | 1 host | ||
| Free trial | / | 14 days | / | ||
| Functions | |||||
| macOS support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| Native macOS App | Swift + SwiftUI | Swift + SwiftUI | Cocoa + Objective-C | ||
| Install package size | 13 MB | 13 MB | 156 MB | ||
| Package upgradeable | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Security updates | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No, outdated version | ||
| Oprating System | |||||
| Non-intrusive | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| Launch at login | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Start with system | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| CLI support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| APP GUI | |||||
| Newbie friendly | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Quick control/Menubar | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Service control panel | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| Multilingual | ✅ Yes, 12 languages | ✅ Yes, 12 languages | ❌ No | ||
| Easy to use APP | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Configurable via GUI | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Easy backup | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| Hosts / Websites | |||||
| Configurable via GUI | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Multiple Hosts | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Max Hosts | 5 | unlimited | 1 | ||
| Custom Domains | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Custom TLDs | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Multiple Domains/Alias | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| SSL support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Free private/self-sign SSL | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Local private/self-sign CA | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Selectable PHP Version | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Static Web Support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| Reverse Proxy | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Docker/Node.js Proxy | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Redirection(301/302) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Programing Languages | |||||
| PHP support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| Multiple PHP versions | 5.6 - 8.4 | 5.6 - 8.4 | 8.0/8.1/8.2 | ||
| PHP 8.4 | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Multiple PHP instances | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Instantly switch PHP versions | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Node.js support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Node.js 22 | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Multiple Node.js versions | 12 - 22 | 12 - 22 | / | ||
| Instantly switch Node.js versions | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Web Servers | |||||
| Apache HTTPd | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ||
| NGINX | ❗️ No, Coming soon | ❗️ No, Coming soon | ❌ No | ||
| Caddy | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Databases | |||||
| MySQL support | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | ||
| Multiple MySQL versions | / | / | / | ||
| Instantly switch MySQL versions | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | ||
| MariaDB support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| Multiple MariaDB versions | 10.4 - 11.5 | 10.4 - 11.5 | ❌ No, only 10.4 | ||
| Instantly switch MariaDB versions | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| PostgreSQL support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Multiple PostgreSQL versions | 10 - 16 | 10 - 16 | / | ||
| Instantly switch PostgreSQL versions | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | / | ||
| Redis support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Memcached support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| SQLite 3 | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Tools | |||||
| phpMyAdmin | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| Adminer | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| OpenSSL | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| Composer | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| cURL | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| npm | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| pnpm | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| yarn | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Mail Server | |||||
| Built-in Mail Server | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| DNS | |||||
| Built-in DNS Server | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Custom domains | 5 | unlimited | ❌ No | ||
| hosts file manage GUI | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| host domain resolution via /etc/hosts | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| host domain resolution via local Built-in DNS Server | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Common PHP Modules | |||||
| APC/APCu | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| xDebug | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| opcache | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| IMAP | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| gd | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| cURL | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| OpenLDAP | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| mysql | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| pgsql | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| sqlite | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| pdo-* | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| sodium | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| MongoDB | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| redis | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| memcache | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| memcached | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| imagick | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Phalcon | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Swoole | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Tunnels/Reverse Proxy | |||||
| Cloudflared | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| frpc | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Development tools | |||||
| Development Library | ✅ Yes, Independent package | ✅ Yes, Independent package | ✅ Yes, built-in | ||
| Re-Compile support | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| Additional PHP Extensions Compile | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| Support | |||||
| Documents | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| Community | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ||
| ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | |||
| Pay support | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||
| Discord/Telegram | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ||