Getting Started with BitL
Get BitL up and running in under 5 minutes.
📦 Installation
Download
Download the latest version from our website:
Install
- Open the downloaded DMG file
- Drag BitL to your Applications folder
- First launch: Right-click the app → Open → Allow
- Grant permissions when prompted (required for local servers)
⚠️ Note: macOS Gatekeeper requires this right-click step for apps distributed outside the App Store.
⚡ Quick Start
Start Services
When BitL launches, it automatically starts nginx, PHP-FPM, and dnsmasq. You'll see green dots in the footer indicating running services.
Link Your First Project
Click the + button in the bottom right, or use the CLI:
cd ~/Projects/my-laravel-app
bitl linkYour site is now available at http://my-laravel-app.test
Enable SSL (Optional)
To enable HTTPS with a locally-trusted certificate:
bitl secure my-laravel-app✅ Done! BitL will create a certificate and add it to your system trust store.
💻 CLI Setup
BitL automatically installs the bitl CLI to /usr/local/bin. If it's not available, you can manually add it:
# Add to ~/.zshrc
export PATH="/Applications/BitL.app/Contents/MacOS:$PATH"🔄 Migration from Laravel Herd
Already using Laravel Herd? BitL can import your configuration:
# Preview what will be migrated
bitl migrate --dry-run
# Run migration
bitl migrate💡 Tip: This imports your linked sites, parked directories, SSL certificates, and PHP isolations.