Local test database?

Totally new to the wonderful world of networking bar some CISCO course I did a few years back. Consider me a newb.

I’m attempting to create an app that allows users to select their university, enter a name, their age etc and I’d like to store this in a database. Other users will need to fetch this data when they select the same university (so you can view people at the same university as you).

I’m pretty sure I can work my way through the forums/API to get to that stage but I’m tripping on the initial hurdle of actually having a server  :huh:

How do you guys go about accessing a remote server? Do you pay for one and use it for all your apps? Do you have a virtual server on your local machine for testing purposes? I’m just looking for a push in the right direction; I found a few articles on Google but most were geared at web development, not app development. And especially not with Corona! A free local server for testing purposes would be fantastic if anyone has any resources relating to that.

Thanks!

Use Xampp! 
You can set up a local server in your computer and access everything using http://localhost 
And finally, once your app is ready to be published, you can buy a server. 

Just what I was looking for! Thanks very much!

Use Xampp! 
You can set up a local server in your computer and access everything using http://localhost 
And finally, once your app is ready to be published, you can buy a server. 

Just what I was looking for! Thanks very much!