Apache and MySQL are separate services and do not interact directly with each other. However, a scripting language like PHP can be used to bridge the gap between the two.
Firstly, you need to ensure that you have PHP, Apache, and MySQL installed on your system. You can use packages like XAMPP, LAMP, MAMP or WAMP that contain Apache, MySQL and PHP in one bundle, based on your operating system.
Here’s a step by step process considering you have installed PHP:
1. Open the PHP configuration file (php.ini) in a text editor. The location of this file will depend on how PHP is installed on your system.
1. Search for the line which states mysql.default\_socket =. Uncomment it by removing the semicolon at the start of the line and set it to the MySQL socket on your system. The default socket for MySQL is “/tmp/mysql.sock”. So the line should look like: mysql.default\_socket = /tmp/mysql.sock
1. Similarly, configure mysqli.default_socket and pdo_mysql.default\_socket. After setting these, save the changes and close the php.ini file.
1. Restart your Apache server for the changes to take effect.
That being said, to connect PHP to MySQL, use this sample code:
```
$servername = “localhost”;
$username = “username”;
$password = “password”;
// Create connection
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password);
// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
die(“Connection failed: “ . $conn->connect_error);
}
echo “Connected successfully”;
?>
```
Replace “username” and “password” with your own username and password.
Now, Apache can process PHP files, and PHP scripts can connect to a MySQL database, effectively enabling Apache to retrieve content from MySQL.
