In a matter of minutes, a package can be installed and convert your desktop machine to a web server. Using XAMPP, the ability to create a web server is very easy. It works for Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and Solaris. It installs Apache, MySQL, and PHP. After that, start the service and you’re ready to go.
Simply copy a file to C:xampphtdocs and it’s available on the web. With MySQL and PHP, you can create database driven websites easily, or you can stick to simple html files and put them in the same directory.
Open up a browser and point it to: http://[yourIP]/[FileName]
All you would need to make a fully functional web server is a static IP or dynamic DNS service to make your hosting a little more user-friendly and you’re all set.
You may also want to read some of the best web hosting reviews recommended for your web development projects.