Laravel Herd Pro for Mac

What does version 1.28.0 bring to a working setup?

The current build keeps the focus on a native macOS experience, with PHP, nginx, and dnsmasq bundled together for local *.test domains. Nothing in this release disturbs existing projects; it simply carries the same quiet reliability forward.

Can it take a request from route to database without leaving the app?

Yes. Debugging data can be filtered by variables, database queries, jobs, views, logs, and HTTP requests. A log entry can even jump to the matching line in your IDE.

How does outgoing mail behave during development?

The included SMTP server on port 2525 captures messages before they leave the machine. You can inspect the result without worrying about accidental sends.

Is it practical to switch between older and newer PHP versions?

The interface allows switching between PHP 7.4 and PHP 8.5, and Node.js versions are managed in the same place. Ports, versions, and service settings remain configurable per project.

First days: three small habits that pay off

After installing, most people launch the app and spin up a Laravel project within minutes. A few deliberate moves in the first days will make the rest of the month smoother.

Start by mapping the services you actually need. The pro version lets you start and stop MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Redis, Memcached, Meilisearch, Typesense, MinIO, and Laravel Reverb from a single panel. Leaving everything running is tempting, but a lean set of active services keeps memory predictable. Turn on only what your current project uses; the toggle is fast enough to adjust per session.

Next, open the mail panel once and send a test password reset from your app. Watching the SMTP capture on port 2525 do its work removes the small anxiety of configuring Mailtrap or a dummy driver. You will see HTML and text versions, attachments, and full headers in one place. That first inspection teaches you exactly where to look later.

Finally, commit the project settings file to version control. It stores the PHP version, active services, and Forge configuration per site. A teammate pulling the repository lands on the same setup without a separate onboarding call.

Pre-install worry: coexisting with a Homebrew PHP setup

Will it interfere with a Homebrew PHP setup? The app bundles its own PHP binaries and isolates them from anything installed via Homebrew. The two can coexist, but you will want to check your shell PATH after installation to confirm which php resolves first. Switching between them is a matter of terminal configuration, not uninstalling either one.

Does it handle a Valet migration cleanly? Sites, certificates, and settings can migrate from Valet directly. The process copies what it needs and leaves the Valet installation untouched, so you can verify everything works before removing the old tool.

What about Xdebug performance when I am not debugging? The pro version enables Xdebug only when a debugging request is present. The rest of the time it stays dormant, so request throughput does not suffer across normal development work.

Can I try the full set of pro features without a separate download? The same native app carries both the free and pro tool sets; no second build is needed to explore database management, mail capture, or log filtering.

Workflow: debugging a form submission from start to finish

Imagine a registration form that silently fails after submission. The page reloads without an error, but no new user appears in the database.

Open the project in Herd Pro and confirm the site is running on the correct PHP version. Place a dd() call inside the controller method that handles the POST request and submit the form again. The intercepted output appears in a separate window with syntax highlighting: you can filter by HTTP requests, database queries, and logged variables without scrolling through raw output.

Notice the query log shows an INSERT attempt that never reaches the database. The SMTP capture on port 2525 tells you the rest: a verification email triggered by the registration contains a malformed link, and the exception thrown by the mailer is visible in the logs panel. Click the log entry to jump straight to the line in your IDE that builds the URL. Fix the route parameter, save the file, and resubmit. The user record appears, and the captured mail now shows a clean verification link.

• macOS 12 or later
• Apple Silicon or Intel Mac
• Interface language: English