OXAMP

Your PHP stack, and your agent's.

Apache, MariaDB and PHP compiled from source as relocatable arm64 binaries, with a SwiftUI control panel — and an MCP server so your coding agent can run the stack, make databases and scaffold apps without you switching windows.

$29 · one-time

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coding agents it can set up

PHP versions side by side

arm64

native, not emulated

Feature 01

Your coding agent drives the stack

OXAMP ships an MCP server. Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code and Zed can check whether the stack is up, start it, tail the log behind a 500, create a utf8mb4 database and hand back the connection settings. Registration is one click per agent from the AI Agents screen, which also tells you which are already set up and repairs an entry that points at a moved copy.

Feature 02

It cannot run SQL, drop a database, or change your settings

The agent-facing tools are an allowlist, not a projection of the command line. There is no tool that takes a SQL string, under any name, and none that deletes anything. They are absent from the server rather than gated behind a confirmation, because a confirmation is something a model can be talked through and a missing tool is not.

Feature 03

WordPress or Laravel in one step

Files, database and configuration together: WordPress gets generated security salts, Laravel gets its app key and a working database connection. The WordPress archive is pinned and SHA-256 checked; Laravel comes through a pinned, checksum-verified Composer. Both check the PHP extensions they need before fetching anything — so a gap is one sentence up front rather than a failure part-way through an install.

Feature 04

Built from source, not borrowed

Homebrew builds bake /opt/homebrew into their install names, which is why they cannot be copied into an app bundle. OXAMP compiles its own Apache, MariaDB and PHP as relocatable binaries — otool reports nothing outside /usr/lib and /System. That is what lets it run on a Mac that has never installed a package manager.

Feature 05

Two PHP versions, one switch

Runtimes live in a content-addressed store, so 8.4 and 8.3 sit side by side without colliding. Pick the active series on the PHP Versions screen and restart.

Feature 06

The opposite of XAMPP's defaults

Apache binds to 127.0.0.1 and ::1 only, and MariaDB to 127.0.0.1 only. The root password is generated at install, stored 0600, and applied to every loopback root account, while root accounts for other hosts and the anonymous account are deleted. Serving Apache to your network is a deliberate switch; the database is never exposed.

You wanted a local PHP site, without a package manager or a container daemon to look after.

OXAMP is Apache 2.4.65, MariaDB 11.4.9 and PHP 8.4.24 (with PHP 8.3.33 alongside), compiled from source as relocatable arm64 binaries. Nothing links back to /opt/homebrew, nothing needs a container, and nothing assumes your Mac has ever met a package manager. It runs on Apple Silicon only.

Your coding agent can drive it. OXAMP ships an MCP server, so Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code and Zed can see whether the stack is running, start it, read the Apache error log behind a 500, create a database with the right charset, and install WordPress or Laravel for you. Open AI Agents in the sidebar and click Register — OXAMP writes the configuration for whichever of them are on your Mac and tells you which are already set up.

What the agent deliberately cannot do is as important as what it can. There is no tool for running arbitrary SQL, none for dropping a database, and none for changing your settings. Those are absent from the server rather than merely disabled, so no instruction an agent happens to read in a web page or a README can reach them.

One command to a running site. oxamp template install wordpress myblog downloads WordPress, creates its database, and writes wp-config.php with freshly generated security salts. Laravel gets composer create-project, its app key, and a .env pointing at a database that already exists. The WordPress download is a pinned release checked against its SHA-256; Laravel's packages come from Composer, and the composer.phar OXAMP uses is itself pinned and checksum-verified. Both check every PHP extension they need before downloading anything, so a gap is one clear sentence instead of a failure part-way through an install. Your agent can run the same install for you.

The control panel is a SwiftUI app rather than a web page in a window: a dashboard, every log the stack writes, a PHP version switcher, a databases screen, the agent setup screen and settings — plus a menu-bar item and keyboard shortcuts for start, stop and restart. The oxamp command works on the same installation from the shell.

XAMPP's own FAQ says its MySQL root user has no password and its MySQL daemon is reachable over the network. OXAMP starts the other way round. Apache listens on 127.0.0.1 and ::1 only, and MariaDB on 127.0.0.1 only. The database root password is generated at install and stored 0600. It is set on every loopback root account, while root accounts for other hosts and the anonymous account are removed outright.

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How it compares

OXAMP vs the alternatives.

Feature	OXAMP	XAMPP	MAMP PRO
Price	$29 once	Free	Paid licence with 1 year of updates, then €99 a year for updates (plain MAMP is free)
Apple Silicon	Native arm64 only; no Intel build	Vendor says the native installer supports M1; latest macOS installers are from 2023	Native Apple Silicon and Intel builds
MCP server for AI agents	Built in; sets up Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code and Zed		Built in (7.4.3+); Claude for Desktop only; opt-in per site
What the agent can do	Start, stop, read logs, create a database, install WordPress or Laravel; no SQL, no deletes	n/a	Read, write and delete site files, run SQL, run WP-CLI, if you enable it per site
WordPress and Laravel setup	One command or agent call, database and config included	Add-ons page points to a Bitnami installer whose link no longer leads to it	WordPress blueprints and a Laravel site type
Default database root password	Generated, stored 0600	None (blank)	root
Network exposure	Apache on 127.0.0.1 and ::1; MariaDB on 127.0.0.1 only	XAMPP's FAQ: MySQL is reachable over the network	A setting: only this Mac, or other computers
Multiple PHP versions	8.4 and 8.3 bundled, switched in the app	One PHP version per installer	Several bundled (8.3, 8.4, 8.5 in 7.4.4), set per site
Uninstall	oxamp uninstall itemises what it removes and keeps your data unless asked	No procedure in the macOS FAQ	Uninstall MAMP PRO menu item

Competitor details checked October 2, 2026. Full comparison, with sources

The same install, from the shell

oxamp start, stop, status, logs, db, template and mcp all act on the installation the panel manages.

Every log, not one per service

Apache writes error and access logs plus a pair per site. All of them are listed, with the non-empty ones first, and follow is a toggle.

An itemised uninstall

oxamp uninstall lists every directory it will delete, with sizes, and keeps your sites and databases unless you pass --include-data. The app itself goes to the Trash like any other.

Frequently asked

Got questions?

Do I need to use an AI agent?

No. Everything the agent can do, you can do from the panel or the command line, and the MCP server only runs when an editor launches it. It is off until you register.

Which agents are supported?

Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code with Copilot, and Zed. OXAMP writes the configuration for whichever it finds, and shows each one's configuration snippet if you would rather paste it in yourself.

Can the agent break my databases?

It has no tool for running SQL and no tool for dropping anything — those are absent from the server, not disabled. It can start, stop and restart the stack, read logs, create a new database (it refuses a name that already exists) and install WordPress or Laravel into an empty directory. Everything destructive stays with you.

Does it need Homebrew or Docker?

Neither. The binaries are compiled from source and relocatable, so nothing links back to a package manager prefix and nothing runs in a container.

Can I run more than one PHP version?

8.4 and 8.3 ship together and switch from the panel. Runtimes are content-addressed, so versions sit alongside each other rather than replacing each other.

Is it signed and notarized?

Yes — Developer ID signed, notarized by Apple and stapled, so it installs on a Mac with no network. Updates arrive through Sparkle and are signature-verified before they are applied.

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