Command-Line Tool: servbayctl

servbayctl is a powerful command-line tool provided by ServBay, designed to enable developers to directly manage ServBay's background services from the terminal. With servbayctl, you can easily perform operations such as starting, stopping, reloading, restarting, force-killing, checking status, and stopping all services. This is especially useful for script automation, quickly toggling service states, or for developers who prefer the command line interface.

This article provides a detailed guide on how to use servbayctl, including supported commands, parameters, and services.

Overview

ServBay not only offers an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) to manage your local web development environment, but also includes the command-line interface (CLI) tool servbayctl. Located in the script folder within the ServBay installation directory, servbayctl allows you to control the running state of various software packages installed by ServBay as background services, all through simple commands.

Benefits of using servbayctl include:

• Automation: Easily integrate service management into your development workflow scripts.
• Efficiency: Quickly start or stop specific services without launching the GUI.
• Flexibility: Ideal for remote SSH connections or headless environments.
• Granular Control: Operate on specific services or versions as needed.

Prerequisites

Before using servbayctl, please ensure:

1. ServBay is installed successfully.

2. You have terminal access on your system.

3. (Optional but recommended) To make usage convenient, you can add the /Applications/ServBay/script directory to your system PATH. This allows you to run the servbayctl command from anywhere without typing the full path.

   • For Bash or Zsh users, edit your ~/.bash_profile, ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.profile file and add the following line:

     export PATH="/Applications/ServBay/script:$PATH"

   • After saving the file, run source ~/.bash_profile (or whichever file you edited) to apply the changes, or simply restart your terminal session.

Syntax

The basic syntax for the servbayctl command is as follows:

servbayctl <command> <service> [parameters]

• <command>: The operation you wish to perform (e.g., start, stop, restart).
• <service>: The service name you want to operate on (e.g., php, mysql, caddy).
• [parameters]: Optional parameter to specify the version or scope (e.g., 7.4 or -all).

According to the servbayctl usage info from ServBay, supported commands and the syntax structure are as follows:

Usage: /Applications/ServBay/script/servbayctl {start|stop|reload|restart|kill|status|stop-all} {php|mariadb|mysql|postgresql|redis|memcached|caddy|nginx|apache|dnsmasq|mongodb|rabbitmq|cloudflared|frpc|mailpit|web|ollama} [-all|version]

Note: The stop-all command does not accept a service name or parameters. It stops all services managed by ServBay.

Detailed Command Reference

Below are explanations and examples for each command supported by servbayctl:

start - Start a Service

Starts the specified service. You may specify a particular version or use the -all parameter to start all installed versions of the service.

servbayctl start <service> [-all|version]

• Example: Start PHP 8.1 service

  servbayctl start php 8.1

• Example: Start all installed PHP versions

  servbayctl start php -all

• Example: Start MySQL service with default configuration

  servbayctl start mysql

stop - Stop a Service

Stops the specified service. You may specify a particular version or use -all to stop all versions of the service.

servbayctl stop <service> [-all|version]

• Example: Stop PHP 7.4 service

  servbayctl stop php 7.4

• Example: Stop all MariaDB versions installed

  servbayctl stop mariadb -all

• Example: Stop Redis service

  servbayctl stop redis

reload - Reload Service Configuration

Reloads the configuration of the specified service. This is often used to apply configuration changes without a full restart. Not all services support hot reload.

servbayctl reload <service> [-all|version]

• Example: Reload configuration for Caddy web server

  servbayctl reload caddy

• Example: Reload configuration for all installed PHP versions (if supported)

  servbayctl reload php -all

restart - Restart a Service

Restarts the specified service. This is equivalent to stopping and then starting the service.

servbayctl restart <service> [-all|version]

• Example: Restart PostgreSQL database service

  servbayctl restart pgsql

• Example: Restart all installed Redis versions (if multiple are installed)

  servbayctl restart redis -all

kill - Force Kill the Service Process

Force-terminates the process of the specified service. This is a more aggressive form of stopping a service and should be used with caution, as it may lead to data loss or corruption (especially for database services). Typically used only when the service cannot be stopped normally.

servbayctl kill <service> [-all|version]

• Example: Force-kill PHP 7.4 service process

  servbayctl kill php 7.4

• Example: Force-kill all Memcached service processes

  servbayctl kill memcached -all

status - Check Service Status

Displays the current running status of the specified service.

servbayctl status <service> [-all|version]

• Example: Check Caddy service status

  servbayctl status caddy

• Example: Check status for all installed MySQL versions

  servbayctl status mysql -all

stop-all - Stop All ServBay Services

Stops all currently running background services managed by ServBay. This is a global command and does not accept service names or version parameters.

servbayctl stop-all

• Example: Stop all ServBay background services

  servbayctl stop-all

List of Supported Services

Based on the servbayctl usage information, the tool can directly control the following types of background services:

• php: Manage multiple versions of PHP-FPM processes.
• mariadb: Manage MariaDB database service.
• mysql: Manage MySQL database service.
• postgresql: Manage PostgreSQL database service.
• redis: Manage Redis cache/database service.
• memcached: Manage Memcached cache service.
• caddy: Manage Caddy web server service.
• nginx: Manage Nginx web server service.
• apache: Manage Apache HTTP server service.
• dnsmasq: Manage the built-in DNS service of ServBay.
• mongodb: Manage MongoDB database service.
• rabbitmq: Manage RabbitMQ message queue service.
• cloudflared: Manage Cloudflare Tunnel service (if installed and configured).
• frpc: Manage Fatedier/frp client service (if installed and configured).
• mailpit: Manage Mailpit email capture tool service.
• web: Manage Web services (the exact meaning may vary depending on actual usage, e.g., active web server or ServBay-related web interfaces).
• ollama: Manage Ollama local LLM service.

Note that servbayctl can now directly manage a wide range of core background services including Nginx and Apache. Although ServBay supports the installation and use of various other software packages (like Java, Python, Go, .NET, Ruby, Rust, etc.), these packages are generally not run as background services directly controlled by servbayctl. Instead, they are typically invoked from the terminal or have their own management systems. servbayctl mainly focuses on managing the core background daemon services listed above.

Common Usage Examples

Here are several common scenarios where servbayctl is used:

1. Quickly switch PHP versions for testing:

   servbayctl stop php -all
   servbayctl start php 8.2

2. Restart database service to apply config changes:

   # Assume you've edited my.cnf or my.ini
   servbayctl restart mysql

3. Ensure all services are stopped (e.g., before shutting down or updating ServBay):

   servbayctl stop-all

4. Check if a web server is running:

   servbayctl status caddy

5. Automate environment startup via script:

   #!/bin/bash
   
   echo "Stopping all ServBay services..."
   servbayctl stop-all
   
   echo "Starting required services..."
   servbayctl start php 8.1
   servbayctl start mysql
   servbayctl start caddy
   servbayctl start redis
   
   echo "ServBay services started."

Notes and Best Practices

• Add to PATH: It's strongly recommended to add the directory containing servbayctl to your system PATH to simplify command input.
• Use kill with caution: The kill command forcibly terminates processes and may result in unsaved data loss or abnormal service states. Unless a service cannot be stopped normally, prefer using stop or restart.
• stop-all is a global action: stop-all will halt all ServBay-managed background services. Make sure this is what you intend to do.
• Version parameter: When using the version parameter, make sure the specified version is already installed and supported by ServBay. You can check installed versions in the ServBay GUI.
• Error handling: If a servbayctl command fails, it may output error messages to the terminal. Troubleshoot based on these messages or check the ServBay log files (usually located in the logs folder in the ServBay installation directory) for more details.
• Combining GUI and CLI: servbayctl complements the GUI. For complex configuration changes or an overview, the GUI remains convenient and user-friendly.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What should I do if I get a command not found error when running servbayctl?

A: This usually means the /Applications/ServBay/script directory hasn’t been added to your system PATH. Please refer to the “Prerequisites” section above for instructions on adding it.

Q: I ran servbayctl start <service>, but the service didn't start. How do I troubleshoot?

A:

1. Use servbayctl status <service> to check the service status again.
2. Check the logs folder under the ServBay install directory for the error log file corresponding to the service. This often provides details on why startup failed.
3. Try starting the same service via the ServBay GUI, as the GUI may show friendlier error messages.
4. Verify the service’s configuration file for errors.

Q: Does the -all parameter apply to all services?

A: The -all parameter primarily applies to services that support installing multiple versions, such as PHP. For most databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc.) and web servers (Caddy), there’s usually only one active instance—using -all is the same as not specifying any version, but for clarity, just use the service name. For services like Redis or Memcached, which may run multiple instances on different ports, -all could control all those instances (the specific behavior depends on ServBay’s implementation).

Summary

servbayctl is ServBay’s robust command-line interface for developers, dramatically increasing flexibility and efficiency when managing local development environment services. Mastering commands like start, stop, reload, restart, kill, status, and stop-all—along with using the version and -all parameters—enables you to control a wide range of services like PHP, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, Memcached, Caddy, and more directly from your terminal. This helps streamline automation workflows and optimize your overall development experience.