localhost/test

http://localhost/test

The localhost/test path is used for test pages, debug scripts, and development testing. Create a test directory to safely experiment without affecting production code.

→ Open localhost/test

Create Test Directory

# Windows XAMPP
cd C:\xampp\htdocs
mkdir test

# Linux
cd /var/www/html
sudo mkdir test
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data test

# Mac MAMP
cd /Applications/MAMP/htdocs
mkdir test
    

Common Test Files

PHP Info Test

Create test/phpinfo.php:

<?php
// Display PHP configuration
phpinfo();
?>
    

Access: localhost/test/phpinfo.php

Database Connection Test

Create test/dbtest.php:

<?php
// MySQL connection test
$host = 'localhost';
$user = 'root';
$pass = '';
$db = 'test';

$conn = mysqli_connect($host, $user, $pass, $db);

if ($conn) {
    echo "Database connected successfully!";
    echo "<br>Server: " . mysqli_get_server_info($conn);
    mysqli_close($conn);
} else {
    echo "Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error();
}
?>
    

PDO Connection Test

<?php
try {
    $pdo = new PDO(
        "mysql:host=localhost;dbname=test",
        "root",
        ""
    );
    $pdo->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
    echo "PDO connection successful!";
    
    // Test query
    $stmt = $pdo->query("SELECT VERSION()");
    $version = $stmt->fetch();
    echo "<br>MySQL Version: " . $version[0];
    
} catch(PDOException $e) {
    echo "Connection failed: " . $e->getMessage();
}
?>
    

Server Variables Test

Create test/server.php:

<?php
echo "<h2>Server Information</h2>";
echo "Server Software: " . $_SERVER['SERVER_SOFTWARE'] . "<br>";
echo "Server Name: " . $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] . "<br>";
echo "Server Port: " . $_SERVER['SERVER_PORT'] . "<br>";
echo "Document Root: " . $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . "<br>";
echo "PHP Version: " . phpversion() . "<br>";
echo "OS: " . PHP_OS . "<br>";

echo "<h2>PHP Modules</h2>";
print_r(get_loaded_extensions());
?>
    

HTML Test Page

Create test/index.html:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Test Page</title>
    <style>
        body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; padding: 20px; }
        .success { color: green; }
        .error { color: red; }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Test Page Working</h1>
    <p class="success">If you see this, your server is running correctly.</p>
    
    <h2>Quick Tests</h2>
    <ul>
        <li><a href="phpinfo.php">PHP Info</a></li>
        <li><a href="dbtest.php">Database Test</a></li>
        <li><a href="server.php">Server Info</a></li>
    </ul>
</body>
</html>
    

JavaScript Test

Create test/script.html:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>JavaScript Test</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>JavaScript Test</h1>
    <button onclick="testFunction()">Click to Test</button>
    <div id="output"></div>
    
    <script>
        function testFunction() {
            document.getElementById('output').innerHTML = 
                '<p style="color: green;">JavaScript is working!</p>';
        }
        
        // Test on load
        console.log('Page loaded successfully');
        console.log('Browser:', navigator.userAgent);
    </script>
</body>
</html>
    

File Upload Test

Create test/upload.php:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
    <h2>File Upload Test</h2>
    <form method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
        <input type="file" name="testfile">
        <input type="submit" value="Upload">
    </form>

<?php
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST' && isset($_FILES['testfile'])) {
    $file = $_FILES['testfile'];
    
    echo "<h3>File Information:</h3>";
    echo "Name: " . $file['name'] . "<br>";
    echo "Type: " . $file['type'] . "<br>";
    echo "Size: " . $file['size'] . " bytes<br>";
    echo "Temp: " . $file['tmp_name'] . "<br>";
    echo "Error: " . $file['error'] . "<br>";
    
    if ($file['error'] === 0) {
        echo "<p style='color: green;'>Upload successful!</p>";
    } else {
        echo "<p style='color: red;'>Upload failed!</p>";
    }
}
?>
</body>
</html>
    

Session Test

Create test/session.php:

<?php
session_start();

// Set session variable
if (!isset($_SESSION['visits'])) {
    $_SESSION['visits'] = 0;
}
$_SESSION['visits']++;

echo "<h2>Session Test</h2>";
echo "Session ID: " . session_id() . "<br>";
echo "Page visits: " . $_SESSION['visits'] . "<br>";
echo "<br><a href=''>Refresh to increment</a>";

// Display all session variables
echo "<h3>Session Variables:</h3>";
echo "<pre>";
print_r($_SESSION);
echo "</pre>";
?>
    

API Test

Create test/api.php:

<?php
header('Content-Type: application/json');

// Simple API endpoint for testing
$response = [
    'status' => 'success',
    'message' => 'API is working',
    'timestamp' => time(),
    'server' => $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'],
    'method' => $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']
];

echo json_encode($response, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT);
?>
    

Test with: curl http://localhost/test/api.php

Email Test

Create test/email.php:

<?php
// Test if mail() function works
$to = "test@example.com";
$subject = "Test Email";
$message = "This is a test email from localhost.";
$headers = "From: noreply@localhost";

$result = mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers);

if ($result) {
    echo "Email function is available and executed.";
    echo "<br>Note: Email may not actually send without SMTP configuration.";
} else {
    echo "Email function failed or is not configured.";
}

// Check mail configuration
echo "<h3>Mail Configuration:</h3>";
echo "SMTP: " . ini_get('SMTP') . "<br>";
echo "smtp_port: " . ini_get('smtp_port') . "<br>";
echo "sendmail_path: " . ini_get('sendmail_path') . "<br>";
?>
    

Test Directory Structure

htdocs/test/
├── index.html          # Main test page
├── phpinfo.php        # PHP configuration
├── dbtest.php         # Database test
├── server.php         # Server info
├── script.html        # JavaScript test
├── upload.php         # File upload test
├── session.php        # Session test
├── api.php           # API endpoint test
├── email.php         # Email test
└── README.txt        # Test documentation
    

Security Considerations

Delete on Production - Never deploy test files to production servers
Restrict Access - Use .htaccess to password protect test directory
No Sensitive Data - Don't use real credentials in test files
Remove phpinfo() - Exposes server configuration details

Protect Test Directory

Create test/.htaccess:

AuthType Basic
AuthName "Test Area"
AuthUserFile /path/to/.htpasswd
Require valid-user

# Or deny all access
# Deny from all
    

Best Practice: Use descriptive file names for tests. Instead of test.php, use db-connection-test.php or api-endpoint-test.php for clarity.

Common Test URLs

localhost/test/ - Main test directory
localhost/test/phpinfo.php - PHP configuration
localhost/test/dbtest.php - Database connection
localhost/test/api.php - API endpoint

Frequently Asked Questions

Why use localhost/test?

It provides an isolated location for debugging and testing without affecting your main application or production files.

Is localhost/test secure?

By default, it's accessible to anyone on localhost. For network access, use password protection or IP restrictions via .htaccess.

Should I commit test files to version control?

Generally no. Add /test/ to .gitignore to avoid committing test files, especially those with phpinfo() or database credentials.

Related Resources

localhost/dev - Development path
localhost/demo - Demo applications
localhost/phpmyadmin - Database management
localhost/api - API endpoints