To set up an Apache and PHP web server on OS X Mountain Lion 10.8, follow these steps:
- Install the Apache web server:
- Open Terminal.
- Run the following command to start the Apache web server:
 $ sudo apachectl start
 
- Install PHP:
- Download the PHP package from the official website.
- Install the package using the following command:
 $ sudo installer -pkg php-5.x.x.pkg -target /
 Replace php-5.x.x.pkgwith the name of the actual package you downloaded.
- Configure Apache to use PHP:
- Open the Apache configuration file:
 sudo nano /etc/apache2/httpd.conf
 - Add the following line to the file:
 LoadModule php5_module libexec/apache2/libphp5.so
 - Find the DirectoryIndexline and addindex.phpas one of the options, like this:
 DirectoryIndex index.html index.php
 - Save the changes and exit the editor.
 
- Restart Apache to apply the changes:
$ sudo apachectl restart
 
- Test your PHP installation:
- Create a file named info.phpin the document root directory (/Library/WebServer/Documents/by default) with the following contents:
 
 phpinfo();
 
 - Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost/info.phpto see information about your PHP installation.
 
- Create a file named 
Your Apache and PHP web server is now set up and ready to use.
