To use Joomla! and develop new extensions, a user's system must fulfill a number of basic requirements. This list details the minimum requirements:
MySQL 3.23 available at http://www.mysql.com
PHP 4.3 available at http://www.php.net
A web server (if using Apache, minimum version is 1.13.19, which is available at http://www.apache.org)
An easy way to quickly obtain and install all of these is to use XAMPP (Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Perl). This project packages all of the necessary pieces of software required to run Joomla! in one installation package. XAMPP is available for the Linux, Mac, Solaris, and Windows operating systems. To learn more about XAMPP, please refer to http://www.apachefriends.org/xampp.html.
Another easy way to get started with Joomla! is to use JSAS (Joomla! Stand Alone Server). JSAS enables us to quickly set up multiple Joomla! installations on a Windows-based system. To learn more about JSAS, please refer to http://www.jsasonline.com.
Joomla! itself is relatively easy to set up and, if necessary, an administration and installation guide can be found on the official Joomla! help site: http://help.joomla.org.