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Stratosv1.4.1
Getting Started• 3 min read

Quickstart Guide

Get from a fresh install to a running HTTPS project site in under 60 seconds.

The 60-Second Walkthrough

  1. Start the Services Stack: Click the Stratos icon in your macOS menu bar and toggle Start All Services. The status indicator turns green when Nginx, PHP-FPM, Dnsmasq, MailCatcher, and DumpServer are active.
  2. Add a Project Folder: Move any Laravel, WordPress, or Node project folder into your webroot directory (~/Sites/my-project), or click Sites → Link Folder.
  3. Access Your Site: Open Safari or Chrome and navigate to: 
    https://my-project.test
    Stratos automatically routes the local domain and applies trusted green HTTPS lock badges.
  4. Pin a PHP Version: Select PHP 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, or 8.5 directly from the site detail pane. Stratos instantly rebuilds the PHP-FPM pool and reloads Nginx with zero downtime.

What You Get Out of the Box

  • ⚡ 100% native Swift menu bar application with <25MB RAM footprint.
  • 🔒 Trusted Local Root CA for 0-warning HTTPS in Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.
  • 📬 Integrated MailCatcher inbox on port 1025 for testing SMTP emails (10 retained on Free, 500 on Pro).
  • 🐞 Real-time Laravel dump() and dd() debug console with 1-click IDE jumping on port 9912.
  • 🗄️ Native Universal Database Hub with SQLite browsing, MySQL/PostgreSQL support, and 1-click Web Adminer (http://db.test).