<p>If you're used to Local you can also use that for Craft.</p>

<p>Here's 2 articles to get you started:</p>

<p><a href="https://medium.com/@madebyraygun/a-quick-and-easy-local-environment-for-craft-3-4fd7c7ff5815" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://medium.com/@madebyraygun/a-quick-and-easy-local-environment-for-craft-3-4fd7c7ff5815</a></p>

<p>and</p>

<p><a href="https://www.tyssendesign.com.au/articles/craft/using-local-by-flywheel-with-other-cms/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.tyssendesign.com.au/articles/craft/using-local-by-flywheel-with-other-cms/</a></p>

<p>I'm also hearing good things about <a href="https://ddev.readthedocs.io/en/stable/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://ddev.readthedocs.io/en/stable/</a>
but haven't tried that one myself.</p>

<p>And it looks like Pixel and Tonic have developed something of their own: Craft Nitro</p>

<p><a href="https://craftcms.com/blog/craft-nitro" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://craftcms.com/blog/craft-nitro</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-15T11:47:08.943Z
for your information, that medium article is not found, showing "410
The author deleted this Medium story"
Emtiaz Zahid
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-02T20:31:32.633Z
2020-05-05T21:56:57.920Z
2020-05-05T21:56:57.920Z
erwinheiser
<p>For windows, have you checked out <a href="https://laragon.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Laragon</a>?</p>

<p>For Mac and Linux there is valet that is probably simpler than vagrant.</p>

<p><a href="https://laravel.com/docs/7.x/valet" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Valet for mac</a></p>

<p><a href="https://cpriego.github.io/valet-linux/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Valet for linux</a></p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-03T03:34:16.453Z
2020-05-03T03:34:16.453Z
frax
<p>I wrote one of the articles about using Local and Craft that @erwinheiser mentioned above. I had enough trouble with Local over the years that I've since switched to <a href="https://lando.dev/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Lando</a>, which is an easy to use, cross-platform local development tool built on top of Docker. (No Docker experience necessary.) I use the built-in LAMP profile with Craft on a daily basis with no problems at all.</p>

<p>But you should really keep an eye on <a href="https://craftcms.com/blog/craft-nitro" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Nitro</a>, which is Craft's own local dev tool. It's in beta and should be available for Windows soon.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-06T04:31:15.000Z
You can keep track of the Nitro Windows progress here: https://github.com/craftcms/nitro/issues/88
Brad Bell
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-05T19:44:15.940Z
2020-05-05T19:44:15.940Z
Dalton Rooney
<p>The advantage of Docker/Vangrant, etc. is they help create a server similar to production so you run into less issues when deploying. However, those setups are often overkill and complex especially if you don't collaborate on a team.</p>

<p>The good news is Craft is simply a LAMP application, like WP, so any stack that includes a web server like Apache or Nginx and a database like MySQL or Postgres will work.</p>

<p>However, Craft has more moving parts, particularly getting <a href="https://getcomposer.org/doc/00-intro.md#installation-windows" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Composer</a> running. I wasn't thrilled when Craft 3 moved over Composer but once you get acquainted it's not as tough as it appears.</p>

<p>I don't use Windows on a daily basis but I do use <a href="https://www.mamp.info" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MAMP</a> on a Mac and they also have a version for Windows. In the past, I've also had success with <a href="https://www.apachefriends.org/index.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">XAMPP</a> on Windows as well. Once you get your stack installed, you'll want to get Composer installed and you should be mostly there. </p>

<p>FWIW you can use Local or any other WP dev environment, just remove the WP files and tables and replace them with Craft's. As you know, WP stores its credentials in <code>wp-config.php</code>, Craft's equivalent is <code>.env</code>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-03T18:59:11.490Z
2020-05-03T18:59:11.490Z
RitterKnight
<p>I do not really care for WordPress, but one thing that it has going for is a dead simple local development environment. In fact, it free software called "Local". It took all of five minutes to get running.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, it took several hours to do a basic set up of Vagrant on Windows, configure Craft to run locally, and then there was various back and forth over obscure server issues until I could finally get it to work. And when it did, the control panel ran rather slowly. I gave up and went back to mapping an FTP connection as a network drive, and just working on files locally, saving them, and then hitting the live site.</p>

<p>I recognize these are different programs, but is there any way to set up Craft for local development that doesn't require an advanced degree in Apache/Vagrant/Docker/whatever the flavor of the month is?</p>

<p>I don't really care if I'm using WAMP, Docker, or whatever, but I would like to find something that is straightforward, with repeatable results, so the next time I have to spin up an install, I don't have to remember 50 steps to do so.</p>

<p>And yes, I am sticking to Windows 10.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-10T00:14:14.673Z
Postscript for anyone reading this now, I have looked at most of the options above, and they are still, in my view, needlessly complicated, or their documentation is out of date. I will soldier on and try to find something that works the first time.
4midori
<server><multi-environment><configuration>
Less complicated local development w/Craft 3, is it possible?
# Less complicated local development w/Craft 3, is it possible?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-05-02)

I do not really care for WordPress, but one thing that it has going for is a dead simple local development environment. In fact, it free software called "Local". It took all of five minutes to get running.

Meanwhile, it took several hours to do a basic set up of Vagrant on Windows, configure Craft to run locally, and then there was various back and forth over obscure server issues until I could finally get it to work. And when it did, the control panel ran rather slowly. I gave up and went back to mapping an FTP connection as a network drive, and just working on files locally, saving them, and then hitting the live site.

I recognize these are different programs, but is there any way to set up Craft for local development that doesn't require an advanced degree in Apache/Vagrant/Docker/whatever the flavor of the month is?

I don't really care if I'm using WAMP, Docker, or whatever, but I would like to find something that is straightforward, with repeatable results, so the next time I have to spin up an install, I don't have to remember 50 steps to do so.

And yes, I am sticking to Windows 10.

Thanks in advance.

**Tags:** server, multi-environment, configuration
> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Postscript for anyone reading this now, I have looked at most of the options above, and they are still, in my view, needlessly complicated, or their documentation is out of date. I will soldier on and try to find something that works the first time.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-05-02. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

If you're used to Local you can also use that for Craft.

Here's 2 articles to get you started:

<https://medium.com/@madebyraygun/a-quick-and-easy-local-environment-for-craft-3-4fd7c7ff5815>

and

<https://www.tyssendesign.com.au/articles/craft/using-local-by-flywheel-with-other-cms/>

I'm also hearing good things about <https://ddev.readthedocs.io/en/stable/>
but haven't tried that one myself.

And it looks like Pixel and Tonic have developed something of their own: Craft Nitro

<https://craftcms.com/blog/craft-nitro>

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: for your information, that medium article is not found, showing "410 The author deleted this Medium story"  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-05-03. Score: 3

For windows, have you checked out [Laragon](https://laragon.org/)?

For Mac and Linux there is valet that is probably simpler than vagrant.

[Valet for mac](https://laravel.com/docs/7.x/valet)

[Valet for linux](https://cpriego.github.io/valet-linux/)

Hope this helps.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-05-05. Score: 2

I wrote one of the articles about using Local and Craft that @erwinheiser mentioned above. I had enough trouble with Local over the years that I've since switched to [Lando](https://lando.dev/), which is an easy to use, cross-platform local development tool built on top of Docker. (No Docker experience necessary.) I use the built-in LAMP profile with Craft on a daily basis with no problems at all.

But you should really keep an eye on [Nitro](https://craftcms.com/blog/craft-nitro), which is Craft's own local dev tool. It's in beta and should be available for Windows soon.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: You can keep track of the Nitro Windows progress here: https://github.com/craftcms/nitro/issues/88  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2020-05-03. Score: 2

The advantage of Docker/Vangrant, etc. is they help create a server similar to production so you run into less issues when deploying. However, those setups are often overkill and complex especially if you don't collaborate on a team.

The good news is Craft is simply a LAMP application, like WP, so any stack that includes a web server like Apache or Nginx and a database like MySQL or Postgres will work.

However, Craft has more moving parts, particularly getting [Composer](https://getcomposer.org/doc/00-intro.md#installation-windows) running. I wasn't thrilled when Craft 3 moved over Composer but once you get acquainted it's not as tough as it appears.

I don't use Windows on a daily basis but I do use [MAMP](https://www.mamp.info) on a Mac and they also have a version for Windows. In the past, I've also had success with [XAMPP](https://www.apachefriends.org/index.html) on Windows as well. Once you get your stack installed, you'll want to get Composer installed and you should be mostly there.

FWIW you can use Local or any other WP dev environment, just remove the WP files and tables and replace them with Craft's. As you know, WP stores its credentials in `wp-config.php`, Craft's equivalent is `.env`.


---

