What's new in LampRabit.

LampRabit 0.2 brings Node.js projects, project templates for 14 frameworks, and domains that follow whatever your project is serving.

Highlights

Node.js projects

• Vite, Next.js, Nuxt, Astro, Express and NestJS projects run on the Node.js version you choose from NVM (.nvmrc respected; NVM's own default never changes), with npm, pnpm, Yarn or Bun.
• The domain follows your dev server. Start it from LampRabit, or run npm run dev (or php artisan serve) in your own terminal: within a few seconds https://<project>.test points at it, HTTPS included. When it stops, the domain goes back to the project's files. With several ports you pick which one; PHP projects stay on PHP unless you choose a port.

Project templates

• New project now covers Laravel, Symfony, WordPress, Drupal, CakePHP, CodeIgniter, Statamic, Magento, and the six Node frameworks above.
• Each template asks the questions its own installer does (TypeScript, linter, router, Tailwind, modules, integrations…), showing only the ones that apply to your earlier answers.
• Templates are YAML: write your own in the templates folder (reference).

A redesigned Sites page

• A project list with live status and ports, and a project view with the main actions up front.
• Overview shows framework and version, PHP or Node.js version and what the project requires, whether dependencies are installed (with an Install button), .env settings, the database, and the git state.
• Commands runs artisan, Composer and package.json scripts, plus Symfony, Drupal, Magento, Statamic, CakePHP and CodeIgniter commands, with the output right there and in Logs.

Also new

• Logs: project sources, search with case, regex and exclude options, and severity and stream filters.
• Home: the first page (formerly Overview). It shows Restart once your stack is up, and profile cards show what's already running.
• Web servers reload without dropping connections when a domain changes route (Nginx everywhere, Apache on Linux and macOS).
• With Apache and Nginx both enabled, each one redirects the other's domains, so an old address still lands in the right place.
• The name is now spelled LampRabit.

Fixes

• php artisan serve (and any PHP started by PHP) now loads LampRabit's php.ini, fixing "could not find driver" for MySQL and MariaDB.
• MySQL and MariaDB also listen on ::1, so clients set to localhost connect every time (Windows resolves localhost to ::1 first).
• "Start all" starts every installed service even when a profile is selected.
• Apache loads mod_version, so .htaccess files using <IfVersion> (Magento's does) no longer fail with a 500.
• The Linux and macOS PHP builds now have GD with JPEG, WebP and FreeType (Magento's installer needs them): reinstall PHP from Services to get them.
• A leftover PHP process from a replaced runtime no longer blocks the PHP FastCGI port on Linux.
• Uninstalling with the MSI installer now removes LampRabit's files and system changes, like the setup.exe uninstaller does (keeping www and data).
• Disabled buttons look disabled in dark mode.

Upgrading

Install over your current version, or let the app update itself. Your projects, databases and settings are kept. After updating, restart MySQL and MariaDB once so they pick up the new listening addresses.

Builds aren't code-signed yet: see the installation guide for getting past the Windows and macOS warnings.

A reliability release. We put lampRabit through a fresh-install and worst-case stress test and fixed everything that broke. If you have 0.1.1, lampRabit offers this update by itself: open Settings → Updates and click Install and restart.

Fixes

• Never stuck on launch: if the settings file gets damaged (for example by a power cut), lampRabit now opens with default settings and tells you, instead of closing straight away. Settings are also saved in a way that can't leave a half-written file.
• Faster starts: Apache and Nginx no longer wait for the Windows administrator prompt that updates the hosts file. The prompt can be answered whenever you're ready.
• Folder names with $ (like price$tag) no longer stop Nginx for every site.
• Start all / Stop all now always ends the way you last clicked, even if you click quickly.
• Removing a PHP version that a site is still using is refused with a clear explanation, and a removal never leaves a half-deleted version behind. Sites that used a removed version go back to the default.
• Changing the environment folder stops the services running from the old folder first.
• New projects won't quietly reuse an existing database (a Laravel project would otherwise run its migrations there), and MariaDB's own system databases can't be chosen. Reserved Windows names like CON are refused.
• Clearer Sites page: folders that can't become a site are listed with the reason, for example when My App and my-app would both be my-app.test, or a folder called adminer takes over the Adminer tool's address. Accented names work better: Café becomes cafe.test.
• Safer settings: impossible values are refused with an explanation, such as port 0, a domain suffix like .com (which would hide real websites), or an environment folder inside Windows or Program Files.
• First run: on a fresh install the title bar shows Set up your stack instead of a Start all button that did nothing yet.
• Update notice now links to these release notes.

A small follow-up to 0.1.0 that tidies up the project for its public launch. If you already have lampRabit 0.1.0, it will offer this update by itself; click Install and it restarts on the new version.

What's new

• License: lampRabit is now officially open source under the MIT License.
• Easier to report problems: new bug-report and feature-request forms on GitHub. Attach the diagnostics report from Settings → Troubleshooting → Run diagnostics → Copy.
• Clearer installation guide: step-by-step instructions for the unsigned-app warnings on Windows and macOS, the real installer file names, and the built-in Visual C++ runtime check.
• New README with screenshots, a feature overview and an honest platform table.

The app itself is unchanged from 0.1.0, so it's a quick, safe update.

The first public release of lampRabit: a local PHP development environment. Windows is fully supported; macOS and Linux builds are a preview (see below). Start Apache or Nginx, PHP and MariaDB with one click, and every folder in www becomes a site at https://<folder>.test.

Highlights

• One-click stack: Apache and/or Nginx, PHP (several versions side by side), MariaDB, Mailpit, Redis-compatible cache and Memcached. Runtimes download on demand, verified by checksum.
• Automatic sites: www/my-app becomes my-app.test, with public/ detection, sub-domains, hosts file kept in sync, and HTTPS from a local certificate authority.
• Per-site choices: PHP version, web server and HTTPS per site. php and composer in the terminal follow the site's PHP version too.
• New projects: blank, static, Laravel, Symfony or WordPress, optionally with a database.
• Developer tools: phpMyAdmin, Adminer and a Mailpit inbox that catches every email your apps send.
• PHP extensions: turn bundled extensions on or off and install extras such as Xdebug and Redis per PHP version.
• Share a site: public URLs through Cloudflare Tunnel (no account) or ngrok.
• Node.js through NVM, live logs with filters and export, diagnostics, port-conflict detection, tray icon, start with your computer, light and dark themes.
• Updates itself: lampRabit checks for new versions and installs them after you confirm.

macOS and Linux preview

The app runs on macOS and Linux, but Apache, Nginx and PHP can't be downloaded there yet, so you can't serve PHP sites with it on those systems today. What does work: Mailpit, the Redis-compatible cache, Cloudflare/ngrok tunnels, Node.js through NVM, and MariaDB on Linux. Full macOS and Linux support is the next big milestone.

First launch: unsigned app warnings

This release isn't code-signed yet, so your system will warn you the first time:

• Windows: "Windows protected your PC". Click More info, then Run anyway.
• macOS: "lampRabit can't be opened". Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway (or right-click the app and choose Open).
• Linux AppImage: make it executable first: chmod +x lampRabit_0.1.0_amd64.AppImage.

Signed builds are planned for a later release.

Good to know

• Installing doesn't need admin rights. Updating the hosts file and trusting the local HTTPS certificate each ask once.
• On Windows, Apache and PHP need the Microsoft Visual C++ runtime; lampRabit checks for it and offers to install it.
• Coming from XAMPP or Laragon? See the migration guides in the repository's docs/website folder.

Found a bug or have an idea? Open an issue.