Laravel Herd: The Easiest Way to Install PHP on Your Mac

Laravel Herd is a free, native app for macOS that simplifies setting up a local Laravel development environment. It’s even more user-friendly than Laravel Valet, bundling essential components like PHP, Nginx, and Dnsmasq all in one. Released by Beyond Code for Laravel LLC, Laravel Herd was introduced at Laracon US on July 19, 2023.

How to Install PHP on macOS with Laravel Herd

1. Download Herd from the official website.
2. Install it by opening the Disk Image and dragging the app into your /Applications folder.
3. Run Herd and follow the prompts to set it up, either starting fresh or importing your existing Laravel Valet configuration.

That’s it! Laravel Herd works right out of the box, no Homebrew or dependency management is required.

To ensure your setup is successful, run these commands:

• php --version
• laravel --version
• composer --version

Supported PHP Versions in Laravel Herd

Laravel Herd currently supports:

• PHP 7.4
• PHP 8.0
• PHP 8.1