Move from XAMPP · lampRabit

This guide moves your projects and databases from XAMPP to lampRabit. It takes about 15 minutes for a typical setup. Your XAMPP installation isn't modified until the last, optional step, so you can go back at any time.

What changes

	XAMPP	lampRabit
Projects folder	`C:\xampp\htdocs`	`C:\lampRabit\www`
Project URL	`http://localhost/myapp`	`https://myapp.test` (and `http://localhost/myapp` still works)
Virtual hosts	Edit `httpd-vhosts.conf` and the hosts file by hand	Automatic for every folder
HTTPS	Self-signed, browser warnings	Trusted local certificates
PHP versions	One per XAMPP install	Several side by side, chosen per site
Database	MariaDB (`root`, no password)	MariaDB (`root`, no password)
phpMyAdmin	`localhost/phpmyadmin`	`localhost/phpmyadmin` or `phpmyadmin.test`
Email	Mercury / sendmail setup	Mailpit catches all mail, no setup
php.ini	`C:\xampp\php\php.ini`, edited by hand	Generated per PHP version; per-project `.user.ini`

Before you start

Install lampRabit and its stack (Apache, PHP, MariaDB); see the installation guide. Install phpMyAdmin too if you use it.
Note your PHP version in XAMPP (XAMPP Control Panel → Apache → Admin → phpinfo), so you can install the same major version in lampRabit if a project needs it.

Step 1: Export your databases from XAMPP

Start MySQL in the XAMPP Control Panel, then export each database you need. Either:

phpMyAdmin: http://localhost/phpmyadmin → select the database → Export → Quick → SQL → Go. Repeat per database.
Command line (faster for several databases), in a terminal:
```
cd C:\xampp\mysql\bin
mysqldump -u root --routines --events --databases shop blog > C:\temp\xampp-dbs.sql
```
List your own database names after --databases. Don't export the system databases (mysql, information_schema, performance_schema, phpmyadmin, test); lampRabit has its own.

If your databases use users other than root, note their names, passwords and grants (phpMyAdmin → User accounts) so you can recreate them.

Step 2: Stop XAMPP

In the XAMPP Control Panel, stop Apache and MySQL. If you installed them as Windows services (the "Service" checkbox is ticked), untick it so they don't start with Windows and hold ports 80, 443 and 3306.

If you skip this, lampRabit will tell you exactly which XAMPP program is in the way when you start a service, and offer to stop it.

Step 3: Copy your projects

Copy each project folder from C:\xampp\htdocs to C:\lampRabit\www. (Click Open www in lampRabit to open the folder.)

Skip XAMPP's own folders: dashboard, img, webalizer, xampp, and the default index.php.

Each folder becomes a site: C:\lampRabit\www\shop is https://shop.test. Folder names are turned into domain names in lowercase, with spaces and symbols replaced by dashes (My Shop becomes my-shop.test).

Step 4: Import your databases

Start MariaDB in lampRabit, then either:

phpMyAdmin: open it from the MariaDB card → Import → choose the .sql file → Go.
Command line: MariaDB card → ⋯ → Open command-line client, then:
```
SOURCE C:/temp/xampp-dbs.sql;
```
Use forward slashes in the path.

Recreate any extra database users you noted in Step 1 (phpMyAdmin → User accounts → Add user account).

Step 5: Update project configuration

Database host: use 127.0.0.1 (or localhost), port 3306, user root, empty password. Same as XAMPP, so most configs need no change.
URLs: if a project stores its own URL (WordPress siteurl/home, Laravel APP_URL, Magento base URLs), change http://localhost/shop to https://shop.test. For WordPress, the simplest way is WP-CLI or a search-replace plugin, since URLs are also stored inside content.
Mail: point SMTP settings at 127.0.0.1:1025 (Mailpit). Plain PHP mail() already goes to Mailpit.

Step 6: Bring over php.ini changes

lampRabit generates php.ini for each PHP version with developer-friendly defaults (512 MB memory, 128 MB uploads, 120 s execution time, errors displayed, OPcache on). If you changed other settings in XAMPP's php.ini, put them in a .user.ini file in the project's folder (or its public/ folder), for example:

max_input_vars = 5000
memory_limit = 1G

PHP picks up .user.ini within a few minutes; restart Apache to apply it immediately.

Step 7: Bring over Apache changes

.htaccess files work as before (Apache honours them, AllowOverride All).
Custom virtual hosts from httpd-vhosts.conf aren't needed for normal projects. If you had special directives, add them in a .conf file in C:\lampRabit\etc\apache\sites\; lampRabit includes every file there and never overwrites them.
Hosts file entries you added by hand for XAMPP virtual hosts can be removed; lampRabit manages its own section.

Step 8: Open your sites

On the Sites page, click Apply changes if shown (approve the administrator prompt once to update the hosts file), click Trust certificate the first time, then open your sites.

Step 9 (optional): Remove XAMPP

Once everything works, you can uninstall XAMPP (C:\xampp\uninstall.exe). Keep C:\temp\xampp-dbs.sql until you're sure nothing is missing.

Troubleshooting

"Port 80 is already in use": XAMPP's Apache (httpd.exe) is still running, possibly as a Windows service. Stop it, or use Stop httpd.exe… on the service card.
A page shows a database connection error: check the database name and user exist in lampRabit's MariaDB (phpMyAdmin), and the host is 127.0.0.1.
A project needs an older PHP: install it on the Services page, then choose it on the site's card (Sites → PHP).
More help: Settings → Troubleshooting → Run diagnostics.