🖥️ How to Create a Virtual Host in XAMPP (Windows)

Want to access your local project via http://myproject.local instead of http://localhost/myproject?
That’s where Virtual Hosts come in!

Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up a virtual host in XAMPP:

🛠️ Step 1: Open Apache Config File

Go to:
C:\xampp\apache\conf\extra\httpd-vhosts.conf

Add this block at the bottom:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin webmaster@myproject.local
    DocumentRoot "C:/xampp/htdocs/myproject"
    ServerName myproject.local
    ErrorLog "logs/myproject-error.log"
    CustomLog "logs/myproject-access.log" common
</VirtualHost>

✅ Replace "myproject" with your folder name.

📁 Step 2: Edit the Windows Hosts File

Open this file in Notepad (as administrator):
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

Add this line:

127.0.0.1  myproject.local

🔒 Important: Save it as administrator, or it won’t update.

🧩 Step 3: Enable Virtual Hosts in Apache

Go to:
C:\xampp\apache\conf\httpd.conf

🔍 Search for this line:

#Include conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf

✅ Uncomment it by removing #:

Include conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf

🔁 Step 4: Restart Apache

Open the XAMPP control panel and click Stop, then Start next to Apache.

🎉 Now open your browser and visit:
http://myproject.local — It should load your project!

💡 Bonus Tip

You can create multiple virtual hosts like:

client1.local
ecommerce.local
portfolio.local

Just repeat the same steps and add more <VirtualHost> blocks!

🙋 Need Help with XAMPP, PHP, or Local Dev?

📧 Reach out to sktiwari.com for custom setups, internships, and full-stack development solutions.

How to Create a Virtual Host in XAMPP