EnvKit — local development environment for Windows & macOS

Your local stack, one place. A free Laragon / XAMPP / Herd alternative.

EnvKit is a desktop app that runs your entire local web-development stack — nginx or Apache, multiple PHP versions, MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB, Mailpit, Node.js, Python, phpMyAdmin, trusted .test HTTPS, and PATH sync — from one modern tray app. Build Laravel, WordPress, PHP, and Node/React/Next.js/Angular sites locally with one-click services and trusted local SSL. It can even be driven by an AI assistant (Claude Code / Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, Zed, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, PhpStorm/JetBrains) through a built-in MCP server.

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This repository is the public home for EnvKit releases & documentation. Visit the website for features, screenshots, and comparisons, or grab the installer from the Releases page. The application source is maintained privately.

What's new

• A wave of community-reported fixes (0.32.0-beta.8) — removed sites stay removed, EnvKit never stops a PostgreSQL/MySQL you installed yourself, "Move data directory" works across drives with progress, shared (ngrok/Cloudflare) URLs no longer redirect back to .test, HeidiSQL opens properly, and install buttons show accurate progress.
• PhpStorm / JetBrains AI support — "Set up detected clients" now configures Junie automatically, so JetBrains IDEs can drive your stack over MCP like the other clients.
• Per-project Git panel — each site has a full Git tab: staged/unstaged changes with status colours, stage/unstage/discard, commit, branch switch + create, fetch/pull/push with ahead/behind counts, and recent history (click a hash to copy).
• More PostgreSQL versions + custom install — pick from more Postgres releases, or type any version and EnvKit installs it.
• Broader AI/MCP control — assistants can now drive far more of the app: create sites, run Git actions, manage databases and cron jobs, install services, and change settings.
• Latest bundled tools — Git 2.55, GitHub CLI 2.95, and Python 3.12.10.
• Angular support — Angular projects are auto-detected and served at trusted .test HTTPS with live reload, joining Next.js, React/Vite, and any Node/Express app.
• macOS support — EnvKit now ships a signed app for Apple Silicon (arm64) Macs, with the same one-click stack, .test HTTPS, and AI/MCP control.
• MySQL 8 — install Oracle MySQL 8 side-by-side with MariaDB; each version lives in its own directory.
• Custom versions — type any version of MySQL/MariaDB, nginx, Node.js, MongoDB, Redis, PostgreSQL, or Python and EnvKit installs it for you.
• Self-healing & resilient downloads — service archives are mirrored on GitHub (no more broken installs when an upstream moves), and a corrupt services manifest repairs itself.
• Faster, cancellable installs — non-blocking extraction (no UI freeze) and a Stop button on every install.

Install

Windows

Download the latest EnvKit-Setup-x.y.z.exe from the releases page and run it. (SmartScreen may warn on first run — More info → Run anyway; EnvKit is self-signed.)

macOS (Apple Silicon)

One-line install (downloads the latest macOS build, strips the Gatekeeper quarantine, opens it):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Env-Kit/envkit-releases/main/install.sh | bash

Run the same command again any time to update. To uninstall: add -s -- --uninstall.

The installer always fetches the newest release that ships a macOS build. Windows and macOS are released independently, so the very latest tag is sometimes Windows-only — the script (and the in-app updater) skip past it to the latest Mac build automatically.

Or download EnvKit-x.y.z-arm64.dmg manually from the releases page (pick the newest release that lists an -arm64.dmg asset), open it, and drag EnvKit to Applications. On first launch, right-click the app → Open (or run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/EnvKit.app) to get past Gatekeeper — the app is Developer-ID signed but not yet notarized (notarization is pending on Apple's side; we'll switch it on as soon as it's available, no action needed on your end).

EnvKit no longer supports Intel Macs — Apple Silicon (M-series) only.

EnvKit auto-updates on both platforms: once installed, it checks GitHub for new releases and installs them in place (Settings → Updates lets you check/download manually). On first launch a short onboarding wizard asks your source — Load from Laragon (a guided detect → import flow, including databases) or Start fresh (pick your stack and install the runtimes it needs).

Upgrading from a previous version? Your data directory, certificates, and settings are migrated automatically on first launch — nothing to do.

Requirements

• Windows 10 / 11, or
• macOS 12 Monterey or later (Apple Silicon only)

What EnvKit changes on your system

EnvKit is designed to run side-by-side with whatever you already have installed. For developers who want the full picture, this is everything it touches (Windows):

• Windows Defender exclusions. The installer excludes EnvKit's install folder (real-time scanning otherwise locks the freshly installed exe and the first launch fails), and the app excludes its own services and tools folders plus the bundled service executables (php, nginx, mysqld, …) so scanning doesn't quarantine or slow them. The installer's exclusion is removed on uninstall. Only Microsoft Defender is affected; scoped to EnvKit's own folders.
• Trusted certificates. Two certificates go into the Trusted Root store: EnvKit's code-signing certificate (so auto-updates verify — there is no paid EV/OV cert yet), and the local CA that signs the HTTPS certificates for your .test sites. The code-signing cert is removed on uninstall.
• hosts file. One 127.0.0.1 <site>.test entry per site, removed when the site is removed.
• PATH. The bundled tools (php, composer, node, git, mysql, redis-cli, …) are added to your user PATH (optionally machine PATH) and kept in sync. Settings → Environment shows the exact folders and lets you re-sync or opt out.
• No Windows services, no firewall rules, no drivers. Services (nginx, PHP, MySQL, …) run as child processes of the app: they start when EnvKit starts and stop when it quits.

Existing software (PHP, Node, PostgreSQL, nginx installed on your machine) is never replaced, modified, or uninstalled — EnvKit installs its own copies inside its data directory and runs them side-by-side. Processes belonging to installed Windows services or Program Files software are left running; only portable dev stacks that hold the same ports/locks (Laragon, XAMPP, WAMP) are stopped during an install.

Screenshots

Dashboard

Sites

Services

Tools

AI (MCP)

Settings

Highlights

• Windows and macOS — one app, the same stack on both (signed build for Apple Silicon).
• nginx or Apache, switchable in Settings — PHP via FastCGI on both.
• Trusted .test HTTPS for every site via an auto-installed local CA.
• Multiple PHP versions with per-site isolation and Xdebug on-demand.
• Bundled databases & tools — MySQL/MariaDB (incl. MySQL 8), PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB, Mailpit, Node.js, Python, phpMyAdmin, plus Composer/Git/gh/nvm/ngrok/Cmder installers.
• Custom versions — install an arbitrary typed version of MySQL/MariaDB, nginx, Node.js, MongoDB, Redis, PostgreSQL, or Python.
• Per-project Git — a built-in Git panel per site: stage/commit, branches, fetch/pull/push, and history, with bundled Git + GitHub CLI.
• Node / React / Next.js / Angular / Vite dev sites reverse-proxied at .test HTTPS with hot-reload, plus a live dev-server output viewer.
• Laravel Reverb (WebSockets) — one-click install, supervise, and proxy per site.
• Import from Laragon — projects and databases (incl. MySQL → MariaDB transfer).
• Diagnose & self-heal services — find port conflicts / stale PIDs / bad configs and repair them.
• AI control via MCP — let Claude Code/Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, Zed, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, or PhpStorm/JetBrains (via Junie) operate your stack: add/remove sites, manage MySQL databases, start/stop and diagnose services.
• Clean PATH, your way — sync to the user or system (Machine) PATH, with stale entries pruned and competing stacks (Laragon/XAMPP/WAMP/MAMP/Herd…) auto-removed so nothing shadows EnvKit's php/mysql/nginx.
• Light/dark, fully translated (EN + AR, RTL) native UI in the tray.
• Free to use (proprietary — not open source) with silent auto-update.

How EnvKit compares

A best-effort snapshot (mid-2026) against other popular local PHP stacks.

Feature	EnvKit	Laravel Herd	Laragon	AppServ	XAMPP
Platform	Windows + macOS	macOS, Windows	Windows	Windows	Win / macOS / Linux
Price / license	Free · proprietary	Free + paid Pro	Free	Free	Free
Web server	nginx + Apache	nginx	Apache + nginx	Apache	Apache
Multiple PHP versions	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌
Per-site PHP isolation	✅	✅	🟡	❌	❌
Auto .test domains	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌
Trusted local HTTPS	✅	✅	✅	❌	🟡 manual
MySQL / MariaDB	✅	💲 Pro	✅	✅	✅
PostgreSQL	✅	💲 Pro	🟡	❌	❌
Redis	✅	💲 Pro	🟡	❌	❌
MongoDB	✅

✅ built-in · 🟡 partial / via add-on · ❌ not available · 💲 paid tier

AI access (MCP)

EnvKit ships an MCP server so AI assistants can operate your local stack.

1. Open Settings → AI and toggle Enable MCP server.
2. Click Set up AI clients — EnvKit registers itself globally with Claude Code / Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, Zed, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, an