A guided tour through everything Stratos can do. Each feature links to its full documentation page with step-by-step instructions and configuration examples.
Current download: 1.7.0. Versioned features require the indicated release or newer. Check your installed version before following a guide.
Coexisting PHP 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 FPM runtime pools orchestrated simultaneously. Starting or restarting PHP-FPM boots every required pool for your sites without 502 Bad Gateway errors. Monitor pool sockets, process IDs, and restart individual version pools directly from Services.
PHP pool management →Full IPv6 loopback (::1) dual-stack support across Nginx, dnsmasq, and PF packet filter redirection. Development TLD DNS routes directly to port 53535 without hijacking port 53, coexisting cleanly with Pi-hole, NextDNS, VPNs, and Docker.
Networking & DNS guide →Intercept outgoing SMTP mail locally on port 1025 with strict CSP sandboxing. Audit responsive email layouts with Desktop vs. iPhone (375px) viewport toggles, inspect raw MIME headers, search HTML content, and view attachments with zero third-party mail trap setup.
Mail catcher & dumps guide →Native SQLite browser, MySQL 8.4/8.0, PostgreSQL 16/15/14, Redis 7.2, and Meilisearch from one dashboard. Interactive ER Schema diagrams with foreign key bezier curves, Destructive Query Guard safety warnings, and 1-click Web Adminer (http://db.test). Free Edition includes 1 diagram/day; Pro unlocks unlimited diagrams and Retina PNG export.
Database manager guide →Generate instant live public HTTPS URLs with zero account creation and zero bandwidth throttling. Share your local development site with clients on mobile devices or expose endpoints to Stripe and Shopify webhook callbacks. Includes 1 free 15-min preview session/day; Pro unlocks persistent 24/7 tunnels.
Public tunnels guide →Execute Eloquent queries, inspect Laravel collections in interactive zebra-striped Table Grids with column sorting, benchmark execution timing down to the millisecond, and manage a persistent library of saved snippets (⌘R shortcut). Free Edition includes 3 queries/day; Pro unlocks unlimited queries.
Visual Tinker playground →Preview project links, PHP pins, aliases, and domain conflicts before importing. Source folders and configuration stay in place. Undo removes the Stratos links; databases and certificates are not migrated.
Migration guide →Check dependencies and ports, start shared local services, and launch selected Vite, queue, scheduler, or Reverb workers. Stop project workers without stopping shared services. Paid service controls retain their Pro requirements.
Project startup guide →Discover existing worktrees or create a committed Laravel branch at its own subdomain with separate SQLite, file cache and sessions, and worker ports. Optionally clone in-project SQLite data. Existing linked worktrees keep their environment; MySQL/PostgreSQL cloning is not included.
Git worktree guide →Start, stop, and restart every component of the local stack from a single popover. Status is reflected in the menu-bar icon — green when healthy, amber when something needs attention, red on failure. Operate services independently without taking PHP down.
Stack control guide →Drop a folder under your webroot and Stratos assigns a `.test` domain to it within a second. No editing `/etc/hosts`, no dnsmasq configuration, no DNS cache flushing. HTTPS is one click away with our 4096-bit Local Root CA trusted in the macOS Keychain.
Trusted Root CA guide →Install every supported PHP version in parallel and pin one per project. Verified with Apple CryptoKit SHA-256 integrity checks and atomic staging directories. Change PHP versions directly in the site inspector — the FPM pool is rebuilt and nginx is reloaded automatically.
PHP version management →Back up project files before changes. In 1.6+, configured in-project SQLite databases include committed WAL data. Restore existing snapshots on every plan with a pre-restore safety copy. MySQL/PostgreSQL require separate backups.
Site snapshots guide →Edit `.env` files safely with timestamped backup protection. Generate Laravel `APP_KEY` secrets and provision SQLite, MySQL, or PostgreSQL databases in 1 click without opening a terminal.
Environment & databases guide →Inspect all incoming HTTP traffic in real time. Filter requests by resource type (Doc, XHR, JS, CSS, Media), copy executable cURL commands, and replay requests against local endpoints to verify bugfixes instantly.
Request inspector guide →1-click Xdebug step debugging for PhpStorm and VS Code with zero global php.ini pollution. Record execution timelines and interactive SPX flame graph profilers to eliminate slow queries and bottlenecks.
Xdebug & profiling guide →A fast terminal binary: `stratos open <site>`, `stratos php`, `stratos composer`, `stratos artisan`, and `stratos test` to execute the built-in integrity and configuration test suites.
CLI companion guide →