🚀 DevBox Pro

Run legacy and modern PHP and Node.js apps side by side with isolated runtimes, bundled services, and zero Docker setup.

Maintaining an old PHP 7.4 project while building a new Laravel 11 app on PHP 8.5? Running a Next.js frontend alongside a PHP backend? DevBox Pro is built for exactly that workflow. It lets you run multiple PHP, Node.js, database, and web server versions at the same time, with per-project configuration, automatic local domains, compatibility warnings, and bundled tooling.

DevBox Pro is an Electron desktop app with a React renderer and a Node.js main process. It manages PHP, Node.js, MySQL, MariaDB, Redis, Nginx, Apache, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MinIO, Memcached, Mailpit, phpMyAdmin, Composer, Git, and more from one local interface.

Version 1.0.6: This release focuses on web server hardening and the new Share on Internet option powered by Cloudflare Tunnel and zrok.

Important: DevBox Pro is built for local development, testing, demos, and temporary preview links. It is not intended for production hosting or production traffic.

✨ Features

🐘 Multi-PHP Version Support

PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5 - Run multiple versions side by side
Per-project PHP version selection with compatibility validation
Easy extension management per version with php.ini editor
Pre-configured for optimal performance

🟢 Node.js Project Support

Node.js 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 - Run pure Node.js applications
Per-project Node.js version selection
Automatic proxy through Nginx/Apache for .test domains
Run Express, Next.js, Nuxt, or any Node.js framework

🌐 Web Server Options

Nginx 1.24, 1.26, 1.28 - High-performance, low memory footprint (recommended)
Apache 2.4 - Full .htaccess support, mod_rewrite included
Front-door ownership and automatic proxying between Nginx and Apache
Automatic virtual host creation
HTTP & HTTPS support for every project

📦 Embedded Services

| Service | Versions | Description | |---------|----------|-------------| | MySQL | 5.7, 8.0, 8.4 | Powerful relational database | | MariaDB | 10.6, 10.11, 11.4 | MySQL-compatible, open source | | Redis | 6.2, 7.2, 7.4 | In-memory cache & session storage | | PostgreSQL | 14, 15, 16, 17 | Advanced relational database | | MongoDB | 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 | Document database | | Memcached | 1.6 | Distributed memory caching | | MinIO | Latest | S3-compatible object storage | | Mailpit | Latest | Email testing with SMTP server | | phpMyAdmin | Latest | Web-based database management | | Node.js | 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 (LTS) | JavaScript runtime for projects & tooling | | Python | 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13 | Runtime for project tooling and workers | | SQLite | 3 | Embedded database runtime | | Composer | Latest | PHP dependency manager |

💾 Database Management

Multi-engine support - MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB workflows
Per-version data isolation - Each version has its own data directory
Database import/export with .sql, .gz, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB flows
Progress tracking for import/export operations
phpMyAdmin integration for web-based management
Automatic database creation per project

🔐 SSL & Security

Automatic SSL certificate generation
Wildcard certificate support
One-click certificate trust
.test domain support (e.g., myproject.test)

🌍 Public Internet Sharing

Share a running project publicly with Cloudflare Tunnel or zrok
Per-project Share on Internet toggle with optional auto-start tunnel when the project starts
Works with both Nginx and Apache projects, including mixed front-door proxy setups
Tunnel proxy rewrites redirects, cookies, and absolute local .test URLs so public sessions stay on the tunnel hostname
Cloudflare Quick Tunnels use random *.trycloudflare.com URLs
zrok requires a one-time app-wide enable token in Binary Manager → Tools
Built for previews and reviews, not for production deployment

🎯 Framework Support

Laravel - Full support with Artisan, Queue Workers, Scheduler
Symfony - Console commands, Doctrine integration
WordPress - WP-CLI ready, Multisite support
Custom PHP - Works with any PHP application
Node.js - Express, Next.js, Nuxt, Fastify, or any Node.js app

🔧 Binary Manager

Download individual components - Only install what you need
Multi-version management - Keep multiple versions installed
One-click updates - Easy version upgrades
Import custom binaries - Use your own compiled versions
Remote definitions - Binary metadata and compatibility rules can be updated without shipping a new app build

☁️ Cloud Configuration Updates

Remote binary definitions - New versions available without app update
Compatibility rules sync - Updated version compatibility warnings
One-click update check - Check for new binaries and rules from Settings
Offline fallback - Built-in defaults when offline
Version tracking - Only download when updates are available

💻 Terminal Commands

Direct command access - Use php, npm, node, composer, mysql, mysqldump, and related tools directly from any terminal
Automatic version detection - Detects your project and uses the correct PHP/Node.js version
Works everywhere - VS Code, Windows Terminal, PowerShell, or any terminal emulator
No prefix needed - Just run php artisan migrate instead of complex paths
Prevents version conflicts - No more "wrong PHP version" issues

📊 Logging & Monitoring

Real-time log streaming per project and service
Color-coded log levels (info, warning, error)
Log file rotation and cleanup
Service resource monitoring

⚙️ Project Configuration

Service version selection per project
Compatibility validation - Warns about incompatible combinations
Binary validation - Checks required binaries before project start
php.ini editor - Customize PHP settings per version

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

Download the latest release for your platform:

Windows: DevBox-Pro-Setup-1.0.6.exe
macOS: DevBox-Pro-1.0.6.dmg

Install the application
Download binaries from the Binary Manager:
- Click "Download All" for the full stack, or
- Select individual components as needed

Creating Your First Project

Click "+ New Project" on the Dashboard
Select your project type (Laravel, Symfony, WordPress, Custom PHP, or Node.js)
Choose project folder and PHP/Node.js version
Configure services (MySQL, Redis, etc.)
Set your domain (e.g., myproject.test)
Click Create and you're ready!

Sharing a Project on the Internet

Open the project detail page and enable Share on Internet
Choose Cloudflare Tunnel or zrok as the provider
Optionally enable Auto-start tunnel if the project should publish automatically on startup
Start the project, then click Start Sharing
Use the generated public URL to access the project from outside your local machine

Provider notes: Cloudflare uses disposable random public URLs on trycloudflare.com. zrok requires a one-time app-wide enable step before any project can use it.

Production note: Tunnel sharing is intended for temporary previews, QA, and stakeholder review. Do not use DevBox Pro as a production hosting platform.

Using Terminal Commands

DevBox Pro lets you use php, npm, node, composer, mysql, and mysqldump directly from any terminal with automatic project version detection:

Go to Settings > CLI Tool in DevBox Pro
Enable "Terminal commands"
Restart your terminal or VS Code

Usage examples:

# Navigate to your project folder
cd C:\Projects\my-laravel-app

# Run PHP with project-specific version (auto-detected)
php artisan migrate
php artisan optimize

# Run Composer with correct PHP version
composer install
composer update

# Run Node.js/npm with project version (if enabled)
npm install
npm run dev
npx vite build

# Connect to MySQL/MariaDB using the active database version
mysql -u root
mysql -u root -p mydb < migration.sql
mysqldump -u root mydb > backup.sql

How it works: When you run php, mysql, or npm from a project directory, DevBox Pro automatically uses that project's configured version. Outside a project, it uses your default version set in Settings.

💻 Development Setup

Prerequisites

Node.js 24+
npm
Git

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/JeffGepiga/DevBoxPro.git
cd DevBoxPro

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the Electron app with the Vite renderer dev server
npm run dev

# Build the renderer bundle only
npm run build:renderer

# Build platform packages
npm run build:win
npm run build:mac
npm run build:all

The renderer dev server runs at http://localhost:3000.

Testing

DevBox Pro includes unit, integration, and end-to-end coverage.

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run only main process tests
npm run test:main

# Run only renderer process tests
npm run test:renderer

# Run End-to-End (E2E) tests
npm run test:e2e

The test suite covers the main-process managers, the renderer, an

DevBoxPro

Install / Use

README