FlyEnv

Best for web, backend, mobile, and full-stack developers who want local services without container overhead.

What Can You Do With FlyEnv?

• Install runtimes on demand: PHP, Node.js, Python, Java, .NET, Flutter, Go, Rust, Ruby, Bun, Deno, and more.
• Run local services: Nginx, Apache, Caddy, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, RabbitMQ, Elasticsearch, Minio/RustFS, and other common development dependencies.
• Manage projects: Switch runtime versions per project, define start/stop commands, expose projects through local domains, reverse proxies, HTTPS, and Cloudflare Tunnel.
• Run AI coding workflows locally: Install and manage Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Kimi, Antigravity CLI, and GitHub Copilot CLI from the same desktop workspace.
• Expose your stack to AI agents: Use the built-in FlyEnv MCP Server to let AI clients inspect services, sites, configs, logs, and selected lifecycle actions.
• Handle daily dev tasks: Edit configs and logs, inspect ports, schedule cron jobs, manage Git, generate certificates, compare diffs, test WebSocket/SSE, and work with JWTs.

Your environment adapts to your project, not the other way around—versions switch automatically as you move between projects:

cd ~/projects/legacy-wordpress
php -v   # PHP 7.4 (auto-loaded)
cd ~/projects/modern-laravel
php -v   # PHP 8.3 (auto-switched)

Is FlyEnv For You?

🚀 How FlyEnv Fits

Most local dev tools are either too heavy for everyday work (Docker Desktop) or too low-level for full-stack projects (NVM/Homebrew/package managers). FlyEnv sits in the middle: a native desktop manager for the tools and services you actually run while building software.

What changed with FlyEnv 4.16 is that it no longer stops at the runtime and service layer. It now also manages AI coding CLIs and exposes your local environment through MCP, so your agent tools can work with the same projects, services, domains, and configs you already manage in FlyEnv. That is the clearest difference versus traditional local-stack tools such as XAMPP, MAMP, or Herd: FlyEnv is not only a runtime manager, but also a local AI coding workspace.

Core Benefits

• On-Demand Modules: Install only the runtimes and local services your projects need.
• Native Processes: Run installed services directly on your operating system rather than inside Docker containers.
• Project Workflows: Switch Node/PHP environments by project and define project service commands, ports, domains, and HTTPS.
• Full-Stack Coverage: Enable databases, queues, search engines, object storage, AI tools, and scheduled tasks from one app.
• AI-Ready Local Workspace: Manage AI coding CLIs and connect them to your local stack through the built-in FlyEnv MCP Server.
• Multilingual UI: Use FlyEnv in 30+ languages.

The real power is that everything works together. A version switcher, a web server manager, a tunnel tool—you can find each of these elsewhere. What you can't find elsewhere is all of them in one window, sharing the same projects, sites, and workflow: Install → Configure → Run → Reverse proxy → Tunnel → Debug → Ship. The time you save isn't any one feature being fast. It's never having to leave.

🎯 Tailored for Your Workflow

The best Windows alternative to Laravel Herd.

• Switch between PHP 5.6, 7.4, 8.x instantly.
• Run Nginx/Apache, MySQL, Redis, and Mailpit out of the box.
• Native composer performance (no file-sharing lag).
• Download for Windows

Stop fighting with NVM.

• Define Node versions per project (automatically detects package.json).
• Instant access to Elasticsearch, PostgreSQL, or RabbitMQ without docker-compose.
• Supports Bun, Deno, and PM2 management.

• Manage multiple JDKs (Maven/Gradle/SDKMAN), .NET SDKs, Flutter SDKs, and Python environments effortlessly.
• Run Flutter diagnostics, Android device checks, and project build commands from one place.
• Keep your global system PATH clean and organized.

• Install and manage Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Kimi, Antigravity CLI, and GitHub Copilot CLI from one app.
• Register the built-in FlyEnv MCP Server into supported clients without hand-editing every config.
• Let AI tools inspect local services, sites, versions, configs, and selected lifecycle actions against the same environment you use for development.

AI Workflow at a Glance

The diagram above shows the workflow. The screenshot below shows the real FlyEnv MCP Server interface used to configure the bridge between your local stack and AI coding tools.

📦 Supported Modules (On-Demand)

FlyEnv allows you to install only what you need from a vast library of supported software:

• AI Coding & MCP: FlyEnv MCP Server, Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Kimi, Antigravity CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI.
• AI Integration & Automation: Hermes Agent, OpenClaw, n8n, Ollama, [CLIProxyAPI].
• Containers: Podman.
• Network Tunnel: Cloudflared, Cloudflare Tunnel.
• Web Servers: FrankenPHP, Apache, Nginx, Caddy, Tomcat.
• Databases: MySQL, MariaDB, [PostgreSQL], [MongoDB], [Qdrant], [ClickHouse], Neo4j.
• Email Server: [Mailpit].
• Programming Languages & Runtime: .NET, Flutter, PHP (Composer, PHP-CLI, PHP-FPM, RoadRunner, Swoole Cli), Go, Node.js, Python, Java (Maven, Gradle, SDKMAN), Erlang, Ruby, Rust (Rustup), [Bun], Deno, Zig.
• Cache & Message Queue: Redis, Memcached, RabbitMQ.
• Service Governance: [Consul], [Etcd], [R-Nacos], [Temporal], [Temporal CLI]
• Search Engine: Elasticsearch, Meilisearch, Typesense, ZincSearch
• Object Storage: RustFS, Minio.
• Automation & Scheduling: Cron Jobs.
• Utilities: Git, MkCert, DNS Server, FTP Server, Static HTTP Server, [Numa].
• Custom modules: Users can add modules on their own, whether as services or commonly used commands. FlyEnv's custom module system ensures that user modules function just like system modules, delivering a seamless user experience.

All modules support multi-version co-existence.