Answers to common questions and solutions to typical issues.
DevBox Pro is a desktop application that gives you everything needed to develop websites on your own computer (locally). It bundles web servers, programming languages, databases, and other tools into a single, easy-to-use app — so you don't need to install them separately or use Docker.
Yes! DevBox Pro is open-source and free to use. You can download it from the GitHub Releases page.
Currently, DevBox Pro supports Windows 10 and Windows 11 (64-bit). macOS support is planned for a future release.
DevBox Pro solves a key limitation of those tools: multi-version support. With XAMPP or WAMP, you're typically locked to one PHP version. DevBox Pro lets you run PHP 7.4, 8.2, 8.4, and more all at the same time — each project gets its own version.
It also includes first-class Node.js support, multiple database engines (MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB), Redis, Memcached, MinIO, and a modern visual interface with real-time logging, database management, and binary downloads.
No! DevBox Pro has a visual interface for everything: creating projects, starting services, managing databases, and downloading tools. However, if you do use the command line, DevBox Pro's CLI integration makes it even easier by auto-detecting project versions.
No! DevBox Pro runs native binaries directly on your computer — no Docker, no virtual machines, no containers. This means faster performance and simpler setup.
DevBox Pro has built-in support for Laravel, WordPress, Symfony, custom PHP apps, and Node.js projects (Express, Next.js, Nuxt, Fastify, etc.).
In reality, any PHP or Node.js application will work — just choose "Custom PHP" or "Node.js" as the project type.
Yes! When creating a project, just point it to your existing folder. DevBox Pro will configure the web server and services around your existing code without modifying your files.
The .test domain (like myproject.test) is a special domain that only works on your computer. It's a reserved domain name that will never conflict with real websites on the internet. DevBox Pro automatically maps it to your local project so you can visit it in your browser just like a real URL.
Absolutely! You can run as many projects as you like simultaneously. Each project gets its own domain, PHP/Node.js version, and database — they don't interfere with each other.
This usually means the web server or project isn't running. Check these things:
1. Make sure the project is started (green status indicator on the project card).
2. Check that the web server (Nginx or Apache) is running in the Services panel.
3. If you just created the project, wait a few seconds — the web server needs a moment to start.
This happens because DevBox Pro uses a self-signed SSL certificate (not one from a certificate authority). To fix this:
1. Go to Settings in DevBox Pro.
2. Click "Trust SSL Certificate".
3. Approve the administrator prompt.
4. Restart your browser.
This only needs to be done once — after that, all your .test domains will work with HTTPS without warnings.
When you first start web servers or database services, Windows Firewall may ask for permission. Click "Allow access" to let the services work properly. This is normal and expected — the services need network access to serve your web pages and handle database connections.
This means another program on your computer is already using port 80. Common culprits:
• Skype — older versions use port 80. Disable it in Skype's settings.
• IIS (Internet Information Services) — Windows' built-in web server. Disable it via "Turn Windows features on or off".
• Another web server — like XAMPP, WAMP, or a standalone Nginx/Apache. Stop it before starting DevBox Pro.
DevBox Pro will detect the conflict and tell you which program is using the port.
Make sure you've done these steps:
1. Go to Settings → CLI Tool and enable "Terminal commands".
2. Restart your terminal completely (close the window and open a new one).
3. If using VS Code, restart VS Code entirely (not just the terminal panel).
If commands still don't work after restarting, try logging out and back in to Windows so the PATH changes take effect.
Check the Logs page for error messages from the database service. Common causes:
• Port conflict — another MySQL or MariaDB instance is already running on the same port.
• Corrupted data — if the database crashed previously, try reinitializing the data directory from the service settings.
• Missing binary — make sure the database version is downloaded in the Binary Manager.
This is normal! The first time you launch DevBox Pro, it needs to:
• Initialize configuration files.
• Set up data directories for services.
• Generate SSL certificates.
Subsequent launches will be much faster.
We're here to help you get the most out of DevBox Pro.