FAQ

What is ServBay?

ServBay is an integrated local network development environment management tool designed to simplify the process of setting up and managing various services and development environments for web developers locally. For more information, please refer to About ServBay.

How do I install ServBay?

You can download the ServBay installer from the ServBay website and follow the steps in the installation wizard. For detailed installation instructions, please refer to the Installing ServBay document.

How do I uninstall ServBay?

On macOS, you can directly drag the ServBay application to the trash and empty the trash to uninstall ServBay. Before performing the uninstallation, please ensure to back up important data. Please refer to the Uninstalling ServBay document for more details.

Does ServBay support automatic updates?

ServBay supports automatic updates. Please refer to the Upgrading ServBay document.

Does ServBay support Windows/Linux?

Currently, it does not support. ServBay primarily supports macOS operating systems.

What languages does ServBay support?

ServBay supports multiple languages, including English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, German, French, Vietnamese, Turkish, Italian, and more. You can switch languages as needed. For details on switching languages, please refer to the Multilingual Support document.

How to back up data in ServBay?

You can back up the /Applications/ServBay directory directly.

What services does ServBay support?

ServBay supports a variety of services, including NGINX, Apache, Caddy, Mailpit, dnsmasq, PHP, Node.js, Python, Golang, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, Memcached, and more. You can easily manage and configure these services through the ServBay interface. For detailed service management information, please refer to the Service and Package Management document.

How do I view the release notes for ServBay?

You can view the release notes for ServBay in the Release Notes. We regularly release updates, including new features, improvements, and bug fixes.

Can I run multiple versions of PHP simultaneously?

Yes, ServBay supports running multiple versions of PHP at the same time. You can select the desired PHP version on the service management page and configure PHP versions individually for each site in the site settings. For more information, please refer to Adding Your First Website and How to Develop Using PHP.

Does ServBay support frameworks and CMS like Laravel and WordPress?

Yes, ServBay supports popular PHP frameworks and CMS, including but not limited to Laravel, WordPress, Symfony, and others. For related tutorials, please refer to How to Develop Using PHP.

Does ServBay support frameworks and CMS like Vue, React, Next.js, Nuxt.js?

Yes, ServBay supports popular JS and TS frameworks and CMS, including but not limited to Vue, React, Angular, Next.js, Nuxt.js, Express.js, Hapi.js, and others. For related tutorials, please refer to How to Develop Using Node.js.

How do I add a website?

Adding a website is easy. Please refer to the How to Add Your First Website document for how to add and configure your website.

How does ServBay support custom domain names and SSL certificates?

ServBay provides a local DNS service and a private CA (ServBay CA) to support custom domain names and SSL certificates. For detailed support information, please refer to the Adding Non-Standard Top-Level Domain (TLDs) Websites and Using SSL (HTTPS) to Secure Website documents.

Can I use custom domain names in ServBay?

Yes, ServBay supports Adding Non-Standard Top-Level Domain (TLDs) Websites. On the website management page, you can set custom domain names for each site and configure SSL certificates to enable HTTPS.

How do I enable HTTPS for services in ServBay?

In the settings tab of the site management page, you can enable HTTPS. ServBay provides certificate issuance through ServBay CA, Let's Encrypt/ZeroSSL, or you can use certificates issued by your own authoritative CA. For more information, please refer to Using SSL (HTTPS) to Secure Website, How to Request SSL Certificates Using ACME, How to Request SSL Certificates from Let's Encrypt, How to Request SSL Certificates from ZeroSSL, How to Request SSL Certificates from Google Trust Services.

Does ServBay support NGINX, Apache, or other web servers?

ServBay comes with Caddy, NGINX, and Apache as web servers by default, and users can freely choose which to use. Please refer to How to Switch Default Web Server for more information.

How many virtual hosts can ServBay create?

The ServBay Free version of ServBay supports creating 3 virtual hosts (registered users can create up to 5). You can add and configure virtual hosts in website management, assigning separate websites and services to each host. ServBay Pro and ServBay Team support unlimited virtual hosts.

How to manage databases?

ServBay provides built-in database management tools, including phpMyAdmin and Adminer. You can use these tools to easily manage MariaDB, MySQL, and PostgreSQL databases. For detailed database management information, please refer to the Database Management section.

How to use command-line tools?

ServBay provides command-line tools for various operations, including service management and PHP module compilation. For more information about command-line support, please refer to Command Line Support and Command Line Tool servbayctl documents.

How to set the default package version?

ServBay allows you to set the default versions of packages such as PHP, Node.js, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL. This is useful for invoking the default version in command lines or scripts. For detailed settings information, please refer to Set Default Version document.

Can I customize the package installation paths in ServBay?

To simplify maintenance costs, ServBay centralizes the installation paths of services into specific directories and does not support directly customizing the installation path for each package.

Does ServBay support multi-user and permissions management?

ServBay is currently designed primarily for single-user use and does not support multi-user and permissions management. All services and websites run in a single-user environment.

How do I view the logs for each service in ServBay?

You can view the logs for specific services by clicking the log icon on the right of each service on the service management page. This can help you diagnose and resolve issues during service startup or runtime. For more information, please refer to View Log Files document.

How do I modify PHP configuration in ServBay?

Please use ServBay's powerful UI to configure PHP settings. For details, refer to How to Modify PHP Settings.

Additionally, in the /Applications/ServBay/etc/php directory, you can find the configuration files for different versions of PHP. Here, you can modify parameters in the php.ini file. Remember to restart the corresponding PHP service after making changes. For more information, please refer to View Configuration Files.

Does ServBay support the installation and management of PHP extensions?

Yes, ServBay supports compiling and managing PHP extensions on your own. Please refer to the Compile PHP Module document for details.

What are the default root username and password for MySQL/MariaDB?

Please refer to the Database Root Username/Password and Connection Information document for details.

What are the default root username and password for PostgreSQL?

Please refer to the Database Root Username/Password and Connection Information document for details.

Does ServBay support using different versions of development languages for different projects?

ServBay provides Project-Level Runtime Environment Configuration. Developers can set different runtime versions for PHP, Node.js, Python, and other languages for different projects, such as setting PHP 8.3, Node.js 22, Python 2.7 for project A, and PHP 8.5, Node.js 23, Python 3.13 for project B. The runtime environments between each project are isolated and do not interfere with each other.