Web developers often use local servers to mimic the environments their code will eventually live in once it launches. OSX allows a wide variety of configurations to run code locally, such as XAMP, WebserverXkit, and good old fashioned Apache via the command line.

Another great entry into this list is MAMP, or “Macintosh, Apache, Mysql and PHP”. Much like the other solutions out there, MAMP provides an all in one package for your web server, database, and scripting language. MAMP brings a lot of polish to the table though, as it comes with phpmyadmin preinstalled making database administration a snap, and the ability to toggle between php4 and php5. A great finishing touch, MAMP provides an OSX dashboard widget that displays your server and mysql service status, as well as giving you the ability to start and stop those services on the fly. The one addition I’d make at this point is the ability to tie given directories to virtual hosts, rather than requiring the user to change their document root when ever they pick up on a different project.

Multiple project directories aside, MAMP is free, so give it a try: I’m finding it to be a great solution!