Laragon

[Sneakyone]

Guide to Laragon

**Laragon** is a powerful, portable, and fast development environment for web applications. It simplifies the installation and configuration of web servers like Apache or Nginx, databases, PHP, Node.js, and more. This guide will walk you through the installation, configuration, and key features of Laragon.

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1. Installation Process

Follow these steps to install Laragon on your device:

1. Download the installer: Visit the official Laragon website and download the latest version of Laragon for your operating system.
   
2. Run the installer: After downloading, open the installer file and follow the prompts to install Laragon.
   
3. Choose installation options: Select the installation directory or use the default path. Laragon is portable, so you can install it on a USB drive or an external hard drive if preferred.
   
4. Complete installation: Once the installation is complete, launch Laragon from your desktop or Start menu.
   

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2. First-Time Setup and Customization

After installing Laragon, follow these steps to configure it for optimal use:

1. Start Laragon: Launch Laragon, and you’ll be presented with a control panel. Click ‘Start All’ to start the Apache (or Nginx), MySQL (or MariaDB), and PHP services. This sets up your local development environment.
   
2. Configure web server: To switch between Apache and Nginx, go to ‘Menu’ > ‘Preferences’ > ‘Services & Ports’ and select your preferred web server. You can also change the default port for Apache or Nginx here.
   
3. Set up a database: Laragon comes with MySQL or MariaDB by default. To manage your databases, click ‘Database’ in the control panel, which opens phpMyAdmin or Adminer for database administration. You can also connect to your database using other MySQL tools.
   
4. Customize PHP version: Laragon allows you to switch between different versions of PHP. To do this, go to ‘Menu’ > ‘Tools’ > ‘Change PHP Version,’ and select the PHP version you want to use.
   

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3. Key Features and How to Use Them

Laragon provides several useful features that make setting up a local development environment simple. Here’s how to use some of its key features:

• Create a new project with one click: Laragon supports automatic project setup for frameworks like WordPress, Laravel, Symfony, and more. Click ‘Menu’ > ‘Quick App,’ then select the type of project (e.g., WordPress, Laravel) to create it. Laragon will automatically configure the environment, download required files, and set up the virtual host.
  
• Pretty URLs (auto virtual hosts): Laragon automatically sets up clean and pretty URLs (e.g., http://myproject.test) for each project. You can configure this by going to ‘Menu’ > ‘Preferences’ > ‘Services & Ports’ and adjusting the domain name pattern.
  
• Terminal and command-line access: Laragon includes its own terminal with access to tools like Git, Composer, and Node.js. To open it, click ‘Terminal’ from the control panel. You can use this terminal to run commands and manage your projects.
  
• Database management: Laragon supports multiple database management systems, including MySQL, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL. To manage your database, click ‘Database’ in the control panel. You can use phpMyAdmin or Adminer to create, edit, and manage databases.
  
• Install additional software: Laragon supports a wide range of software such as Redis, Memcached, MongoDB, Python, and more. To add more software, go to ‘Menu’ > ‘Tools’ > ‘Quick Add,’ and select the software you want to install.
  
• Multiple PHP versions: Laragon allows you to switch between different PHP versions quickly. Go to ‘Menu’ > ‘Tools’ > ‘Change PHP Version’ and select the PHP version you want to use for your projects.
  
• Port management: If there is a port conflict, you can change the ports for Apache, Nginx, or MySQL by going to ‘Menu’ > ‘Preferences’ > ‘Services & Ports.’ Change the ports for each service if needed.
  

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4. Customizing Advanced Settings

Laragon offers various advanced settings for experienced developers who want more control over their development environment. Here’s how to customize it further:

1. Add custom domains: If you want to add custom domains, you can edit the ‘hosts’ file on your system. Open Laragon, go to ‘Menu’ > ‘Preferences,’ and modify the ‘Auto Virtual Hosts’ settings to enable custom domain names for your projects.
   
2. Enable SSL (HTTPS): Laragon supports SSL out of the box. To enable SSL for a project, click ‘Menu’ > ‘Preferences,’ enable SSL, and restart the server. Your project will be accessible over HTTPS, using a self-signed certificate.
   
3. Set up multiple databases: If you need to manage multiple databases (e.g., MySQL and PostgreSQL), you can enable or disable services in ‘Menu’ > ‘Preferences’ > ‘Services & Ports.’ Laragon allows you to switch between different database systems easily.
   
4. Use custom versions of PHP, MySQL, or Node.js: You can add custom versions of PHP, MySQL, Node.js, or any other tools by downloading the desired version and placing it in Laragon's ‘bin’ folder. Restart Laragon, and the new versions will be available.
   
5. Use Composer for dependency management: Laragon includes Composer by default. Open the terminal and run ‘composer’ to manage dependencies for PHP projects. You can update, install, and remove libraries from the terminal.
   

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5. Troubleshooting Common Issues

Here are some common issues you may encounter with Laragon and how to resolve them:

• Port conflicts: If you receive an error that a port is in use, go to ‘Menu’ > ‘Preferences’ > ‘Services & Ports’ and change the port number for the conflicting service (e.g., Apache or MySQL).
  
• Unable to start services: If services like Apache or MySQL fail to start, check the log files for errors by clicking ‘Menu’ > ‘Log Viewer.’ This will give you details on what might be causing the issue.
  
• PHP not detected or not working properly: Ensure that the correct PHP version is selected by going to ‘Menu’ > ‘Tools’ > ‘Change PHP Version.’ You can also try reinstalling PHP by downloading a new version and placing it in Laragon’s ‘bin/php’ folder.
  
• SSL errors: If SSL is not working correctly, make sure that the SSL option is enabled in ‘Preferences.’ Additionally, clear your browser’s cache and restart the server.
  
• Slow performance or high resource usage: Try disabling unnecessary services in ‘Menu’ > ‘Preferences’ > ‘Services & Ports.’ You can also limit the number of background processes to improve performance.
  

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6. Uninstalling Laragon

If you need to uninstall Laragon, follow these steps:

1. Open the Control Panel or Settings app on your computer.
   
2. Go to Programs > Uninstall a Program (Windows).
   
3. Find Laragon in the list of installed programs and click Uninstall.
   
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to remove Laragon from your system.
   

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7. Conclusion

Laragon is a versatile and powerful development environment that simplifies the setup of local servers and databases. Whether you’re building websites, working with frameworks like Laravel or WordPress, or managing databases, Laragon offers everything you need to get started quickly. For more help, visit the Laragon Community Forum.