It is possible to host a website on a personal computer for testing purposes by installing the Apache Webserver, and accessing the site via the loopback address: http://127.0.0.1 or http://localhost.

If the computer is connected to a local area network, it may be possible to access the site using the host computer’s IP addresss – usually 192.168.XXX.YYY.  If the computer is connected directly to the internet, it may be possible to access the site on the web using the computer’s (external) IP addresss.  However, some internet service providers block web hosting from residential accounts.

For Mac users:

http://igerry.com/desktop/apple-os/enable-apache-web-server-os-x-mavericks.html

For Windows users:

http://www.wikihow.com/Install-the-Apache-Web-Server-on-a-Windows-PC