Here's the fastest way to get your PHP app running. No MAMP, WAMP, apache or any of that nonsense.
Moreover, it allows you to run multiple projects independently.
I'm assuming you have docker.
tl;dr
This runs the php docker image, mounts the current directory, and spins up a server on port 8086
$ docker run -v $(pwd):/www -it -p8086:8086 php:5.6-alpine sh -c "cd www; php -S 0.0.0.0:8086"
The Full Version
Create your index.php
$ cat > index.php
<html><body><h1><?php print("Hello World!") ?> </h1></body></html>
CTRL-D
Run the Server
$ docker run -v $(pwd):/www -it -p8086:8086 php:5.6-alpine sh -c "cd www; php -S 0.0.0.0:8086"
Test Your Server
$ curl localhost:8086
<html><body><h1>Hello World! </h1></body></html>
I hear you. This one liner fills a use case where you need to quickly work on a PHP project for a short period of time, with minimal effort. Another idea would be to quickly prototype or test PHP concepts for beginners while avoiding the investment in tools.
Every tool has a niche.