WorkBench

WorkBench is a free, open-source, native, lightweight, cross-platform local development environment manager built in pure Go. It serves as a modern alternative to Laragon, XAMPP, and WAMP.

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Key Features

• Pure Go Engine: 100% native Go core with zero CGO dependency — compiles natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux without requiring GCC or external C compilers.
• Service Management: Easily start, stop, restart, and inspect local web services (Apache HTTP Server, MariaDB).
• PHP Version Switching: Install and switch seamlessly between multiple PHP versions (8.1, 8.2, 8.3, etc.). Apache automatically updates its module bindings when switching PHP versions.
• ZIP Package Installer: Extract and register Apache, MariaDB, and PHP runtimes directly from local ZIP archives (bin/<service>/<version>/).
• Engine-First Architecture: Completely decoupled headless core engine with a native CLI interface (workbench / workbench-cli) and a planned Qt desktop GUI layer.

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Directory Structure

WorkBench/
├── active/            # Active runtime symlinks/paths (e.g. active/php)
├── bin/               # Service and runtime binaries
│   ├── apache/        # Installed Apache versions (e.g. bin/apache/2.4.63)
│   ├── mariadb/       # Installed MariaDB versions (e.g. bin/mariadb/11.7.2)
│   └── php/           # Installed PHP versions (e.g. bin/php/8.3.30)
├── build/             # Output executables (workbench.exe, workbench-cli.exe)
├── cache/             # Download & ZIP extraction cache
├── cmd/               # Binary entry points
│   ├── workbench/     # Main executable
│   └── workbench-cli/ # CLI executable alias
├── data/              # Persistent service data (MariaDB data files)
├── docs/              # Specifications, ADR decisions, CLI docs, & architecture
├── etc/               # Config files (etc/apache/httpd.conf, etc/php/php.ini)
├── internal/          # Core engine packages
│   ├── app/           # Application state coordinator
│   ├── cli/           # CLI command handlers
│   ├── config/        # Configuration manager & writer
│   ├── core/          # Service & runtime managers
│   ├── database/      # Embedded SQLite database
│   ├── filesystem/    # Directory path manager & archive extractor
│   ├── package/       # Package installer & ZIP extractor
│   ├── process/       # Cross-platform process manager
│   ├── project/       # Local web project manager
│   └── service/       # Apache and MariaDB service drivers
├── logs/              # Log files (apache/, php/, mariadb/)
└── www/               # Web root directory for your local projects

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Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Go 1.22+ installed on your system.

Build Executables

# Build main binary
go build -o build/workbench.exe ./cmd/workbench

# Build CLI binary alias
go build -o build/workbench-cli.exe ./cmd/workbench-cli

Run Tests

go test ./...

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CLI Command Reference & Usage

WorkBench provides a fast and intuitive command-line interface. Both workbench and workbench-cli accept the exact same commands:

1. Environment Status

Displays the current running status of Apache, MariaDB, and the active PHP version.

workbench status

Example Output:

Apache      Running
MariaDB     Stopped
PHP         8.3.30

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2. Service Management

Control background web services:

# Start a service
workbench start apache
workbench start mariadb

# Stop a service
workbench stop apache
workbench stop mariadb

# Restart a service
workbench restart apache
workbench restart mariadb

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3. PHP Version Management

List, inspect, and switch active PHP runtimes:

# List all installed PHP versions
workbench php list

# Show currently active PHP version
workbench php current

# Switch active PHP version
workbench php use 8.3.30

Note: Switching PHP versions automatically updates the Apache web server configuration and restarts Apache if it is currently running.

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4. ZIP Package & Runtime Installation

Install new versions of Apache, MariaDB, or PHP directly from ZIP archives:

# Install Apache from ZIP
workbench install apache C:\Downloads\httpd-2.4.63-win64-VS17.zip

# Install MariaDB from ZIP
workbench install mariadb C:\Downloads\mariadb-11.7.2-winx64.zip

# Install PHP from ZIP
workbench install php C:\Downloads\php-8.3.30-Win32-vs16-x64.zip

(You can also use the -install flag format: workbench -install php <path_to_zip>)

What Happens During ZIP Installation:

1. Extraction: Archives are safely extracted into cache/extract/.
2. Directory Unwrapping: Top-level single subfolders (e.g. Apache24/, mariadb-11.7.2-winx64/) are automatically unwrapped.
3. Version Auto-Detection: Version strings (e.g. 2.4.63, 11.7.2, 8.3.30) are extracted from the file/folder name.
4. File Placement: Runtime files are moved directly into bin/<service>/<version>/.
5. Initial Setup: Auto-generates default configuration files (php.ini, log folders, data directories).

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5. Local Project Management & Framework Scanning

Discover and manage local web projects inside www/ or external custom directories with auto framework detection (laravel, php, node, python, go, generic):

# Scan www/ web root for local projects
workbench project scan

# List all tracked projects
workbench project list

# Register a custom project location outside www/
workbench project add C:\Projects\my-laravel-app

# Unregister a project
workbench project remove C:\Projects\my-laravel-app

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Documentation

For detailed architectural specifications and design decisions, see the docs/ directory:

• docs/CLI.md — CLI reference
• docs/ARCHITECTURE.md — Core system architecture
• docs/SPEC.md — Product specification
• docs/DECISIONS.md — Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)

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License

WorkBench is licensed under the GPL-3.0 License.