# Hamster Server — full description

Website: https://hamsterserver.konexforge.com/
Vietnamese page: https://hamsterserver.konexforge.com/vi/
Source: https://github.com/cmm-cmm/Hamster-Server (MIT License)
Publisher: Konex Forge (https://konexforge.com/)
Current version: 1.4.1, released 2026-11-02
Download: https://github.com/cmm-cmm/Hamster-Server/releases/download/v1.4.1/HamsterServer-1.4.1-win-x64.zip (156 MB)

## What it is

Hamster Server is a free, open-source, portable local web server for Windows. It bundles Apache HTTP Server and several PHP versions with a native Windows control panel. The control panel generates Apache's configuration, every virtual host's configuration and every PHP version's php.ini, so PHP projects run at http://localhost/ or under names such as shop.test without editing configuration files. It is aimed at PHP developers working on Windows, including Laravel, Symfony, WordPress, Drupal and Magento projects.

## Requirements

- Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit (x64).
- .NET 10 Desktop Runtime (x64): https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/10.0
- No installer and no administrator rights. Extract the zip to a writable folder (not C:\Program Files) and run HamsterServer.exe.
- Internet access to php.net only for PHP downloads and updates.

## What is included (version 1.4.1)

- Apache HTTP Server 2.4.68 (Apache Lounge build, VS18, Win64)
- PHP 8.2.35, 8.3.36, 8.4.27 and 8.5.12 (Non Thread Safe, x64; Windows rebuilds 8.2.35-1, 8.3.36-1, 8.4.27-1, 8.5.12-1), patched against PHP2Shell (CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619)
- Mozilla CA certificate bundle (extracted 2026-08-13), used for HTTPS requests made by PHP code
- Not included: MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL or any other database server. PHP's database extensions connect to a database server installed separately.

## Getting started

1. Download HamsterServer-1.4.1-win-x64.zip and extract it, for example to D:\HamsterServer.
2. Run HamsterServer.exe and press Start All. Apache and PHP-CGI start; the tray icon turns green.
3. Open http://localhost/.
4. To serve a project, open Tools > Virtual Hosts > Add…, choose the project folder and a framework preset, and give the site a name. Names ending in .localhost (shop.localhost) work immediately; other names (shop.test) need a line "127.0.0.1 shop.test" in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.

## Features

### Services
- Start, stop and restart Apache and PHP together or separately, from the toolbar, menus, the Services list or the tray.
- PHP is restarted automatically after a crash (at most 5 times in 2 minutes).
- A memory watchdog recycles the PHP worker pool when its memory grows past a threshold derived from the worker count, and only while Apache is serving no request.
- FastCGI connection pooling between Apache and PHP.
- Colour-coded log pane for Apache, PHP and Hamster Server messages, also written to daily log files.
- Minimise to tray, start services on launch, launch with Windows.

### PHP versions and automatic updates
- Switch the active PHP version with one click.
- The PHP Version Manager shows the active version and whether it is current, all installed versions, and all official php.net releases that can be installed.
- Update modes: "Install automatically" (default), "Notify me only", "Off".
- Automatic mode checks php.net one minute after start and every six hours. When a newer patch of the active branch is published (for example 8.5.9 to 8.5.12-1), it downloads it, verifies its SHA-256 checksum, installs it next to the current version, copies user-added extensions, regenerates php.ini and switches to it at a moment when PHP is idle. The previous version is kept for rollback; "Remove old patches" deletes old versions.
- It never moves to another PHP branch (such as 8.4 to 8.5) on its own.
- Windows rebuild versions published by php.net with a suffix (8.5.12-1) are recognised and treated as updates.
- Downloads are accepted only from windows.php.net and downloads.php.net over HTTPS.

### PHP extensions
- Extension DLLs that the user placed in a runtime's ext folder, and the DLLs they depend on (for example Microsoft's php_sqlsrv.dll and php_pdo_sqlsrv.dll, Xdebug, or imagick with its CORE_RL_* DLLs), are copied into the new patch of the same branch during an update. Files the new patch already ships are never overwritten.
- Extensions are not copied across branches, because PHP extensions are built per minor version.
- For each installed version, the manager lists extensions that are enabled but missing, and offers "Copy extensions" when another version of the same branch has them.

### PHP configuration
- One window (PHP Configuration) edits memory limit, upload and POST size, execution time, error reporting, short open tags, time zone and extensions.
- A "Recommended" extension profile (bz2, curl, exif, fileinfo, ftp, gd, gettext, intl, mbstring, mysqli, odbc, openssl, pdo_mysql, pdo_sqlite, sockets, sodium, sqlite3, xsl, zip) is verified to load in every bundled PHP version.
- The extension selection applies to every installed PHP version.
- display_errors is always off (errors go to config\logs\php_error.log) because output before headers breaks FastCGI responses.

### Virtual hosts
- Presets: Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter, Yii, CakePHP, Phalcon, Hyperf (reverse proxy), Slim, WordPress, Drupal, Magento. A preset selects the public web root, routes requests through the front controller and blocks sensitive files such as .env.
- Enable or disable a site, open it in the browser, open its folder.
- Hosts-file check: an enabled site whose name does not point at 127.0.0.1 is marked "not in hosts file" and the window shows the exact line to add. Hamster Server reads the hosts file but never writes it.

### Ports
- Apache ports tab: main HTTP port, HTTPS port and extra ports, each marked free, in use by Hamster Server, or taken by another program.
- System ports tab: every TCP port listening on the computer with its address, program and PID. Hamster Server's ports are shown in green; a program holding a port Hamster Server needs is shown in red. Well-known services (MySQL, SQL Server, Redis, MongoDB, Vite, Xdebug and others) are labelled.

### Apache
- Server name, connection limits, keep-alive, Gzip, optional Brotli, browser caching for static assets, HTTPS with a user-supplied certificate.
- Custom Apache directives are validated with httpd -t before they are saved.

## Security and privacy
- Apache listens on 127.0.0.1 by default; LAN access is a separate opt-in setting.
- The only outside connection is HTTPS to windows.php.net and downloads.php.net for PHP updates; setting updates to Off stops it. No telemetry.
- All settings, logs, generated configuration and PHP versions stay inside the Hamster Server folder (settings in config\hamster-server.json).
- No administrator rights are required.

## Upgrading from an earlier version
Close Hamster Server, extract the new version to a new folder, then copy config\hamster-server.json (settings and sites), any PHP version folders installed under php\, and any projects kept in www\ from the old folder.

## Troubleshooting
- "Port already in use": open Ports > System ports to see which program holds the port; stop it or move Apache to another port.
- A virtual host does not open: add the hosts-file line shown in Virtual Hosts, or use a name ending in .localhost.
- An extension stopped working after changing PHP version: within a branch use Copy extensions; for another branch download the extension built for that PHP version (NTS, x64).
- Blank page or HTTP 500: read config\logs\php_error.log.

## FAQ
- Is Hamster Server free? Yes, MIT-licensed. Bundled Apache and PHP keep their own licenses.
- Does it work on macOS or Linux? No. It is a Windows application.
- Does it include a database? No.
- Does it need Docker or WSL? No.
- Can it run several PHP versions at once? Several versions can be installed side by side; one is active for the server at a time and switching takes one click.
- Who makes it? Konex Forge.