Setting up a web server can be a lengthy and complicated process, with so many components to download, set up and manage.

A WAMP server (Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP) like VertrigoServ makes life easier by bundling together everything you need, and adding its own centralised management tools.

VertrigoServ has all the server essentials – Apache, PHP, MySQL, SQLite, SQLiteManager, PhpMyAdmin and Zend Optimizer – yet they’re all installed from a single setup file barely 30MB in size.

There are no setup complexities to worry about, no tricky questions or options. VertrigoServ just installs itself, and all its components, to a single folder on your drive.

VertrigoServ bundles everything you need to run and manage your own web server

You don’t have to worry about server directives or ploughing through configuration files, either. They’re easily accessible if you need them (right-click VertrigoServ’s system tray icon, select Config Files), but otherwise the server is ready-to-go immediately.

Entering 127.0.0.1 in a browser window proves this by displaying a “Welcome” web page listing your installed components, version numbers, loaded PHP extensions and more.

This page is generated from a default index.php page, so as soon as you see it you’ll know everything is working properly.

Right-click VertrigoServ’s system tray icon, select “WWW folder”, and an Explorer window opens at the folder containing the default page. Replace this with your own website files, refresh the browser, and your site should be displayed right away.

If you know what you’re doing, or want to make some changes to the default setup, exploring VertrigoServ’s menu gives you easy access to server controls (Start/ Stop/ Restart), configuration files, documentation and assorted utilities (PhpMyAdmin, SQLite Console, MqSQL Console).

And if none of this is for you – or you’ve just finished testing and don’t need a server any more – the single uninstaller for VertrigoServ removes all of its components within seconds.

It’s a nicely designed package, easy-to-use for beginners, but also providing speedy access to the options and features that experts need.

VertrigoServ is an easy-to-use, full-featured WAMP server for Windows XP and later.