Migrate from Laravel Herd
Switch from Herd to DAMP in minutes
Switch from Laravel Herd to DAMP and get DevContainers, HTTPS, and service isolation for your existing projects.
Migration Process
Stop Herd Services
Stop Herd to free ports 80 and 443:
- Open Laravel Herd
- Click "Stop All Services"
- (Optional) Quit Herd completely
Open DAMP
Launch DAMP and click "Add Site" button.
Select "Existing Project"
Choose the Existing Project option.
Configure Site
Fill in the details:
| Field | Value | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Your site name | my-laravel-app |
| Path | Your project folder | C:\Herd\my-laravel-app |
| PHP Version | Match your current version | 8.3 |
Install Services
After site creation, install services your project uses:
- MySQL - If using database
- Redis - If using caching/queues
- Mailpit - For email testing
Go to Services page → Click "Install" for each service needed.
Update .env File
Open your project in VS Code DevContainer and update .env:
# Old Herd config
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
# New DAMP config
DB_HOST=damp-mysql
# Redis (if using)
REDIS_HOST=damp-redis
# Mail (if using)
MAIL_HOST=damp-mailpit
MAIL_PORT=1025Test Your Site
- Open in VS Code: Click "Open in VS Code" in DAMP
- Reopen in Container when prompted
- Browse to
https://yoursite.local - Install SSL certificate if needed
What DAMP Adds
DAMP creates these files in your project:
your-laravel-app/
├── .devcontainer/ ← Added by DAMP
│ ├── devcontainer.json
│ ├── Dockerfile
│ ├── php.ini
│ └── xdebug.ini
├── .vscode/ ← Added by DAMP
│ ├── launch.json
│ └── settings.json
└── [Your existing Laravel files remain unchanged]Git Ignore
These folders are already in Laravel's .gitignore - team members can use their own setup!
Key Differences
Service Access
Herd:
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306DAMP:
DB_HOST=damp-mysql # Container name
DB_PORT=3306Domain Access
Herd:
http://my-laravel-app.testDAMP:
https://my-laravel-app.local # HTTPS by default!Artisan Commands
Herd: Run directly on host
php artisan migrateDAMP: Run in DevContainer terminal
# Inside VS Code DevContainer
php artisan migrateTroubleshooting
Run Both Temporarily
You can run Herd and DAMP simultaneously on different ports to test migration before fully switching!