Free for macOS 26 · no Docker, no Homebrew

Your Vapor projects,
just running.

Vaporware is a native Mac app that runs your Vapor projects locally — no terminal wrestling with swift run, no Docker configs, no manual database setup. Open the app, and it works.

Notarized DMG · built-in updates · no account, no license keys

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OverviewLogsDatabasesDomains
PostgreSQL :5432 MySQL :3306 Redis :6379 SQLite file-based myapp.test + HTTPS SMTP catcher :1025 vw CLI & daemon
Features

Everything between git clone and running.

Vaporware manages servers, Swift toolchains, databases and domain routing, so you can spend your time in the code — not the config.

One-click projects

Open a project. Press Start. That’s it.

Point Vaporware at any Vapor project — or scaffold a new one — and it builds and serves it with live status: Starting → Building → Running, with compile progress parsed straight from the build.

  • New projects in seconds — a modern Package.swift, entrypoint, routes and optional Dockerfile.
  • Collapsible console — build output and request logs when you want them, silence when you don’t.
  • Auto-start — flag projects to come up when Vaporware launches.
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Built-in databases

PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite & Redis. No Docker. No Homebrew.

Install database engines from Settings in one click — they’re fetched on demand, verified, and managed entirely by Vaporware. Start and stop them from the app or the menubar.

  • Auto-provisioning — new projects get CREATE DATABASE and a pre-filled .env with working credentials.
  • Port-clash aware — already running Postgres via Herd or Homebrew? Vaporware assigns its engines their own ports.
  • SQLite included — file-based, zero setup, always available.
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Pretty domains

myapp.test instead of localhost:8080

Vaporware runs a local DNS resolver and reverse proxy, so every project can have a friendly .test hostname — with automatic HTTPS from a local certificate authority your browser trusts.

  • No /etc/hosts hacks — routing is handled by an internal proxy.
  • Valid lock icon — local certificates are trusted system-wide, for development only.
  • Plays fair — hand .test back to other tools (like Laravel Herd) with one click.
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Mail catcher

Every email your app sends, caught locally.

A built-in SMTP inbox captures outgoing mail during development — password resets, receipts, notifications — so nothing ever reaches a real inbox by accident.

  • Zero configuration — point your app at localhost:1025 and you’re done.
  • Real message view — headers, recipients, plain text and raw source.
  • Persistent — messages are stored as .eml files across launches.
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Environment manager

Your .env, as an interface.

Each project’s environment variables get a visual editor — add, toggle, reorder and comment variables without leaving the app. Changes round-trip cleanly to the file.

  • Provisioned for you — database credentials appear here automatically.
  • Import existing files — comments and ordering survive.
  • Enable / disable — flip a variable off without deleting it.
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Menubar, CLI & daemon

Close the window. Everything keeps running.

Vaporware lives in your menubar with quick controls for every service and project. Prefer the terminal? The vw CLI drives the same services — and an optional headless daemon keeps them alive with the app closed entirely.

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$ vw status
✓ daemon running · DNS :5301 · proxy :7080
● blog [PostgreSQL] — running on :8080
$ vw project new api --db postgresql
✓ Created 'api' — .env pre-filled # CREATE DATABASE api
How it works

From folder to a live domain in three moves.

No YAML, no containers, no PATH surgery. Vaporware detects the Swift toolchains you already have and handles the rest.

01

Add a project

Open an existing Vapor package or scaffold a new one — optionally with a database provisioned and .env pre-filled.

02

Press Start

Vaporware resolves, builds and serves with live progress. Pick a Swift toolchain per project if you need to.

03

Visit your domain

Give it a myapp.test hostname with automatic HTTPS, watch requests stream in, and get back to writing Swift.

And the rest

Small things, done properly.

The details that usually eat an afternoon, already handled.

Swift toolchains

Build each project with the Swift version it expects. Vaporware detects installed toolchains — no swiftenv gymnastics.

Live logs

Request logs, route matches and errors stream into the app as your server runs — filter by method or path.

Pixla Sites export

Turn a Pixla Sites project into a real Vapor 4 app — pages become Leaf templates, forms become Fluent routes.

Publish to Pixla Hosting

One button packages your project and hands it to Pixla Hosting for production — build, TLS and routing included.

Built-in updates

Vaporware updates itself in the background and shows release notes — no App Store, no re-download dance.

Clean uninstall

One built-in uninstaller removes everything — routing, certificates, CLI tools and data. Project folders untouched.

Better together, great alone

Part of the Pixla family.

Vaporware works entirely on its own. Pair it with other Pixla apps when you want the full path from idea to production.

Pixla EditorEditor

Open any Vaporware-managed project in the native Mac code editor.

Learn more →
Pixla HostingHosting

Publish a Vapor project straight from the app — builds, TLS and routing handled.

Learn more →
Pixla SitesSites

Design without code, then export a deployable Vapor app with Leaf templates.

Learn more →
Pixla MailMail

Announce releases and reach your users — email campaigns and newsletters, native on Mac.

Learn more →

Get Vaporware

Free and full-featured. Every feature above ships in the one and only version — no Pro tier, no trial, no license key.

↓ Download for macOS

8.4 MB · Requires macOS 26 (Apple silicon) · Notarized · engines download on demand

FAQ

Quick answers.

Is it really free?
Yes — Vaporware is free and full-featured, with no paid tier planned. It’s built by Pixla, whose business is managed hosting; the local tool costs nothing.
Do I need Docker or Homebrew?
No. That’s the point. Database engines are downloaded and managed by Vaporware itself, and Vapor’s own server handles HTTP. Nothing is installed system-wide behind your back.
Does it bundle Swift?
No — Swift toolchains are large and Xcode already manages them. Vaporware detects the toolchains installed on your Mac and lets you pick one per project.
What if I already run Postgres, Redis, or Laravel Herd?
Vaporware assigns its managed engines their own ports to avoid clashes, and .test ownership is an explicit toggle — you can hand it back to other tools at any time.
Where does my data live?
Databases, engine binaries and logs live in ~/Library/Application Support/Vaporware. Your project folders and .env files stay exactly where you created them.
How do I uninstall it?
Settings › General › Uninstall… removes the resolver, firewall redirect, local certificate, CLI tools, login item and data — then you drag the app to the Trash.