• PHP 4.2.x or above - http://php.net
• MySQL 3.23.x or above - http://mysql.org
• Apache 1.3.x or above - http://httpd.apache.org

You must ensure that you have MySQL, XML, and Zlib functionality enabled within your PHP installation.

The remainder of this Manual assumes for the most part, that you have a fully functioning web server 

If installing on your home or office computer (for local testing only) there are a number of packages for the various operating systems that will assist in establishing these requirements.

• XAMPP - multi-platform - Apache, MySQL, PHP, installation. http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html this system should not be used for "live" sites. Check out the XAMPP web site for full details.
• LAMP - Linux platform - Apache, MySQL, PHP, installation. Most Linux distro's now come with a pre-configured LAMP server available for use as a part of the standard installation. Alternatively, this may be available as an add-on, again tailored to your particular flavour of Linux distro, from the project home page. Often the constituent components can be managed separately as well rather than installed as a "unit".
• WAMP - Windows platform - Apache, MySQL, PHP, installation. http://www.wampserver.com/en/
• MAMP - Macintosh platform - Apache MySQL, PHP, installation. http://www.mamp.info/en/index.php
• JSAS - Joomla! Stand Alone Server - Pre-configured server with Joomla! pre-installed. http://jsas.joomlasolutions.com/ not for "live" sites.
• The long way is to install each of the component elements separately and configure them all to work together.

On remote, hosted or dedicated servers the configuration and availability of these applications will depend on the host provider or the operating system that is installed upon the server. The variation that can occur between providers and OS can be significant and is outside the scope of this brief instruction. If you encounter a problem with your host provider and the use of Joomla! check the forums to see if other users have experienced the particular issue and what their solution was.

Joomla! can be used with alternative web servers such as Microsoft© Internet Information Service but this is not a path we are exploring in this manual.

For particular issues or to see if a particular combination of programs meet the necessary criteria check the http://forum.joomla.org to see if anyone else has succeeded with this task