Quick Start

Introduction

Get your first DAMP project running. This guide assumes you have DAMP already installed.

Note

New to DAMP? Start with our installation guide first.

Open DAMP

Launch DAMP from your applications menu or system tray.
Create a new project

Click the "Add Project" button in the Projects page.
Choose project type

Select your project template:
- Laravel - Full Laravel framework
- Basic PHP - Empty PHP project
- Existing project - Add DevContainer to existing code
Configure project

Fill in the project details:
- Project Name: my-first-app
- Local Domain: my-first-app.local (auto-generated)
- PHP Version: 8.2 (for PHP projects)
Create project

Click "Create Project" and wait for DAMP to:
- 🔄 Pull required Docker images
- 🔄 Generate SSL certificates
- 🔄 Configure local domains
- 🔄 Start development services
tip
First-time setup takes longer as Docker images are downloaded. Subsequent projects are much faster.

Once creation is complete, your project is immediately available:

Open your project in VS Code with DevContainer support:

Click "Open in VS Code"

In the DAMP project dashboard, click the "Open in VS Code" button.
Install DevContainer extension (if prompted)

VS Code will prompt you to install the DevContainer extension if not already installed.
Reopen in container

VS Code will ask to "Reopen in Container" - click "Reopen in Container".

note
This opens your project inside the Docker container with all development tools pre-configured.
Start coding

You now have a fully configured development environment with:
- ✅ PHP/Node.js runtime
- ✅ Xdebug debugging
- ✅ Database access
- ✅ All dependencies installed

Let's verify everything is working correctly:

If you created a Laravel project:

View the welcome page

Navigate to https://my-first-app.local in your browser. You should see the Laravel welcome page.
Check the database

Laravel should connect to MySQL automatically. Run a migration:
```
php artisan migrate
```

For other project types:

Check web access

Visit your project URL and verify the web server is responding.
Test file changes

Edit a file and verify changes appear immediately (live reload enabled).
Database connection

Test database connectivity using the provided credentials.

Your development environment is ready.

If something isn't working:

Congratulations! You've successfully created your first DAMP project.