Though the ApacheFriends people don't recommend XAMPP for production environments, I've run the latest XAMPP version in a production environment for the last six weeks without issue. Certainly It's not a be all and end all solution for a web serving stack though. XAMPP is missing some kind of easy to use Apache server configuration tool that would help to set up virtual servers. As well, on its own it's not really a completely secure solution as it does not include any sort of IDS (like SNORT for example) which is really an imperative in today's insecure internet.

XAMPP is however one of the easiest Apache stack configurations that I've ever come across or deployed. It provides the core of what you need with a few goodies tossed in for good measure. Being a purist myself, I still derive a great deal of satisfaction and professional pride in compiling AMPP stack components and options on the command line, though I suspect that people like me are now becoming the minority.

For those you are having difficulty getting all the components of their AMPP stack working, XAMPP may well be a more than adequate solution.

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