In the previous section, you saw how to install Joomla on a web server. Another option is to install the web server software on your computer and run Joomla on this local web server. This is also called a local installation. In this setup, your computer will act as if it were a live web server—but your Joomla site will only be accessible on your computer. If you've followed along in the previous section and you have already installed Joomla on the Web, you can skip this section and head for the next chapter.

Installing Joomla on your own computer does have a couple of drawbacks. You'll have access to your Joomla site from just one computer, and when your site is ready for the world, you'll still have to move it to a real web server. However, installing Joomla locally is a good solution when you want to install CMS for testing purposes. It makes it easy to develop sites without having access to a web server.

In this section, you'll learn more about what...