Can I create a local server that will support web pages and Drupal?

I want to set up a local server, with Apache, mySQL, and PHP under Linux
(Debian). I would then be able to learn Drupal on a local machine that
was not (necessarily) on the internet (that is, was not serving as a
host on the internet). The local server would process PHP and mySQL as
would a server that _was_ on the internet, returning the results to the
local browser. I could then practice learning Drupal with no public
consequences.

My question is: what steps do I need to take, on such a machine, to set
up what I am calling a local server?

-- William Lee Valentine