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XAMPP alternative for Linux ​

XAMPP bundles Apache, MariaDB and one PHP version into /opt/lampp, started with sudo and serving everything under htdocs at localhost. Lerd covers the same ground on Linux and macOS without root: each project gets its own https://<name>.test domain, its own PHP version, and shared MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL, all running as rootless containers under your user. It is free and open source.

The one real difference is the web server. XAMPP serves through Apache, which reads .htaccess files, and Lerd serves through nginx, which does not. Most projects need no changes, and the MAMP guide shows how to carry over the rules of the ones that do.

Every XAMPP feature, and the Lerd equivalent ​

What you used in XAMPPThe same thing in Lerd
localhost/myapphttps://myapp.test, one domain per project with no hosts file edits
Projects inside /opt/lampp/htdocsProjects anywhere in your home folder, lerd park ~/code serves a whole folder
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp startlerd start, as your own user, or start at login with lerd autostart enable
One PHP version per XAMPP installEvery PHP version from 7.4 to 8.5 side by side, picked per project with lerd isolate 8.4 or read from composer.json
MariaDB with root and no passwordlerd service start mysql, or MariaDB after lerd service preset mariadb, wired into .env by lerd env
phpMyAdmin at localhost/phpmyadminlerd service preset phpmyadmin, then lerd service start phpmyadmin, or any database client
Self-signed SSL in httpd-ssl.conflerd secure, a certificate your browsers trust, no warning page
Editing php.ini in /opt/lampp/etclerd php:ini, per PHP version or shared, see php.ini overrides
.htaccess rulesAn nginx override per site
XAMPP Control PanelThe web dashboard, a terminal dashboard and a system tray

Moving a project from XAMPP ​

1. Export your databases. In XAMPP's phpMyAdmin, open each database and use the Export tab, or run XAMPP's own dump tool:

bash
/opt/lampp/bin/mysqldump -u root myapp > myapp.sql

2. Stop XAMPP. It holds ports 80, 443 and 3306, which Lerd needs.

bash
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp stop

3. Install Lerd and start it.

bash
curl -fsSL https://lerd.sh/install.sh | bash
lerd start

4. Move the projects and serve them. Copy them out of htdocs into a folder you own, then park it so every project becomes a site:

bash
cp -r /opt/lampp/htdocs/myapp ~/code/
cd ~/code
lerd park

Each project is served at https://<folder>.test. Lerd detects the framework and its document root, and a plain PHP project with an index.php at the top works as it is. A project whose entry point lives elsewhere can set public_dir in .lerd.yaml.

5. Point the app at Lerd's database and import. Start the database, let lerd env replace XAMPP's root with no password in .env (or wp-config.php on WordPress), and restore the dump:

bash
lerd service start mysql
cd ~/code/myapp
lerd env
lerd db:import myapp.sql

6. Update URLs. Links that pointed at http://localhost/myapp now live at https://myapp.test. For Laravel and most frameworks that is APP_URL in .env. A WordPress site keeps its address in the database, so run a search and replace with WP-CLI:

bash
wp search-replace 'http://localhost/myapp' 'https://myapp.test'

What is genuinely different ​

  • No root after install. XAMPP runs Apache and MariaDB as root from /opt/lampp. Lerd runs everything as rootless Podman containers and needs sudo only during installation, to point the system resolver at .test.
  • A domain per project, not a path. Apps that hardcoded /myapp/ as a base path need it removed, since each project is served from the root of its own domain.
  • Nginx, not Apache. .htaccess is not read. Framework front controllers work without any rules, and custom rewrites move into an nginx override.
  • Per-project PHP. Two projects can run PHP 7.4 and 8.5 at the same time, which XAMPP needs two separate installs for.

Removing XAMPP ​

Once your projects run on Lerd, XAMPP's own uninstaller removes it:

bash
sudo /opt/lampp/uninstall

Next steps ​

Released under the MIT License.

© 2026 George Dumitrescu