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) through a built-in MCP server.

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.

• 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) and Intel (x64) 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, or Redis 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.

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.)

Download the matching DMG for your Mac from the releases page:

• Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4): EnvKit-x.y.z-arm64.dmg
• Intel: EnvKit-x.y.z-x64.dmg

Open the DMG 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; notarization is on the way.

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.

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

Dashboard

Sites

Services

Tools

AI (MCP)

Settings

• Windows and macOS — one app, the same stack on both (signed builds for Apple Silicon
  • Intel).
• 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, or Redis.
• 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, or Gemini CLI 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.

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

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

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, and Gemini CLI, and installs an envkit skill. (Or copy the shown URL config into your client's mcpServers yourself.)
3. Restart your AI client, then ask things like "start redis", "diagnose why mysql won't start, then repair it", or "list my Laravel sites".

The endpoint is local-only (http://127.0.0.1:<port>/mcp), bearer-token authenticated, off by default, and only works while EnvKit is running.

Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue. Please include your OS and version, EnvKit version, and steps to reproduce.

For anything else, reach us at info@envkit.net.

EnvKit is built and maintained by:

• Ziad Talaat — @zsnakeee
• Kirlos Osama — @ker00sama-dev
• Youssef Yasser — @7aWy11

EnvKit is free to use, but it is not open source. All rights reserved.