Laravel Herd for Mac

Streamlined Local PHP Environments for macOS

Laravel Herd is a free macOS utility that makes building and running Laravel projects faster and less error-prone. It acts as a development-environment manager, letting you configure projects and local services through a straightforward interface. The tool is approachable for newcomers while still offering convenience features that experienced developers expect.

Key advantages

• Built-in dependency and package management helpers to keep projects consistent and easy to update.
• Native support for multiple database engines so you can work with the storage systems your apps require.
• Fast toggling between different PHP runtimes and environment profiles to match project needs.
• Rapid installer for the core components you need, reducing manual setup time.
• Compatibility with several PHP versions so you can test and run applications across different stacks.

What it helps you manage

Laravel Herd bundles common local-development tasks into a single pane of control. It handles web server config, PHP version selection, database instances, and common services required by Laravel applications. That reduces the time spent editing configs and makes onboarding new projects quicker.

Quick references and free alternatives

• Free cheat-sheet resources and quick-start guides for Herd-style workflows.
• Other macOS-first development managers that serve similar purposes if you want alternative approaches.
• Community tutorials and examples showing typical Herd setups and common troubleshooting steps.

Getting started in minutes

1. Install the application on your Mac and follow the initial setup prompts.
2. Create or import a Laravel project and let Herd configure the local services automatically.
3. Choose the PHP version and database engine required by the project.
4. Use the UI to start or stop services, run migrations, and manage dependencies as needed.

Laravel Herd simplifies the repetitive aspects of local development so you can focus on building features instead of fighting configuration.