How to install Apache, MySQL and PHP on macOS in 2025

We showed you how to start macOS’s built-in Apache server. Handy for quick tasks, but it can clash with Homebrew PHP, even with SIP disabled!

The Issue: PHP installed via brew is not signed.

The Solution: Install Apache via Homebrew (brew install httpd) and run it on port 8080. This avoids conflicts with the built-in server and allows seamless integration with your Homebrew PHP installation.

brew install httpd

Modify the default config to suit your needs

nano /opt/homebrew/etc/httpd/httpd.conf

Set the document root
By default, the DocumentRoot is set to:

/opt/homebrew/var/www

Change it to

DocumentRoot "/Users/<your-username>/Sites"
<Directory "/Users/<your-username>/Sites">
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
</Directory>

Locate the last line of LoadModule Block and paste PHP LoadModule line:

LoadModule php_module /opt/homebrew/opt/php/lib/httpd/modules/libphp.so

Set the DirectoryIndex to include index.php:

DirectoryIndex index.php index.html

Set the DirectoryIndex to include index.php:

<FilesMatch \.php$>
    SetHandler application/x-httpd-php
</FilesMatch>

Restart the Apache server to enable the changes

sudo brew services restart httpd

Benefits:

• Compatibility: Homebrew Apache and PHP work perfectly together.
• Flexibility: Run both servers simultaneously for different projects.
• Control: Easily manage configurations and updates with Homebrew.

Facing this problem? Give this solution a try! Share your experiences in the comments below.