XAMPP with is a specific, older distribution typically used for maintaining legacy web applications. While XAMPP itself remains a gold standard for local development, this particular version of PHP is now several years past its End of Life (EOL) . Quick Verdict
Skype, IIS, or Windows Web Services often block port 80. xampp php 7.1.3
Elias leaned back, the blue light reflecting in his eyes. In the world of rapid updates and "move fast and break things," there was a quiet, stubborn victory in making something old work exactly as it was meant to. He knew that outside his local environment, this version was long past its End of Life Do not expose ports 80/443 to the internet
root/blank password in any script that connects to the DB.Restart Apache after any changes to php.ini (via XAMPP Control Panel). Restart Apache after any changes to php