FastCGI error when accessing a local development site using MAMP Pro
Following the answer in this issue https://stackoverflow.com/questions/15563217/apache2-fastcgi-comm-with-dynamic-server-aborted-first-read-idle-timeout/15565267#15565267 I was able to successfully run my script without this dreaded timeout and 500 error, like so:


Go to File &gt; Edit Template &gt; Apache &gt; httpd.conf
Do a Find &amp; Replace for MAMP_FastCgiServer_MAMP
Comment out the line MAMP_FastCgiServer_MAMP
Add a config line for your version of PHP, with the desired timeout limit at the end like so: FastCgiServer /Applications/MAMP/fcgi-bin/php5.6.2.fcgi -idle-timeout 3600


For your version of PHP the code block would look like this, with the two changes being the second and third last lines:

&lt;IfModule mod_fastcgi.c&gt;
    # URIs that begin with /fcgi-bin/, are found in /var/www/fcgi-bin/
    Alias /fcgi-bin/ "/Applications/MAMP/fcgi-bin/"

    # Anything in here is handled as a "dynamic" server if not defined as "static" or "external"
    &lt;Directory "/Applications/MAMP/fcgi-bin/"&gt;
        SetHandler fastcgi-script
        Options +ExecCGI
    &lt;/Directory&gt;

    # Anything with one of these extensions is handled as a "dynamic" server if not defined as
    # "static" or "external". Note: "dynamic" servers require ExecCGI to be on in their directory.
    AddHandler fastcgi-script .fcgi .fpl

    MAMP_ActionPhpCgi_MAMP

    #MAMP_FastCgiServer_MAMP
    FastCgiServer /Applications/MAMP/fcgi-bin/php5.5.10.fcgi -idle-timeout 3600
&lt;/IfModule&gt;


Also reference this solution:  https://stackoverflow.com/questions/24715426/how-do-you-increase-the-apache-fastcgi-timeout-on-mamp-mamp-pro/24976009#24976009