What Short Leash changes on your computer
On this page
Short Leash makes a handful of system changes, all listed below, and each one is undone by Settings › Remove or the switch that made it. Everything else stays in Short Leash's own folder.
What does setup change on a Mac?
| Change | Why | Undone by |
|---|---|---|
/Library/LaunchDaemons/dev.shortleash.daemon.plist |
Lets macOS open ports 80 and 443 on 127.0.0.1 and hand them to Short Leash, which runs as you |
Settings › Remove |
/etc/resolver/test |
Sends .test lookups to Short Leash's DNS server on 127.0.0.1:5354 |
Settings › Remove |
| Short Leash Local CA in your login keychain | Lets your browser trust .test sites. It can only sign .test names |
Settings › Remove |
The first two need your administrator password once. Trusting the certificate authority is macOS's own prompt, in your user account.
What does setup change on Windows?
| Change | Why | Undone by |
|---|---|---|
One name resolution rule, with the comment Short Leash |
Sends .test lookups to Short Leash on 127.0.0.1 |
Settings › Remove |
| Short Leash Local CA in your user's trusted root certificates | Lets your browser trust .test sites. It can only sign .test names |
Settings › Remove |
What else can Short Leash change?
Only if you turn it on, under Settings › Terminal: a block marked “Short Leash” in ~/.zshrc on a Mac, or one entry in your user Path on Windows, so new terminal windows use Short Leash's php, composer and leash. Turning the switch off removes it.
Where does Short Leash keep everything else?
In ~/Library/Application Support/Short Leash on a Mac, or %LOCALAPPDATA%\Short Leash on Windows: settings, certificates, downloaded runtimes, services and their data, and logs. See Ports and files for what's in it.
Does Short Leash run anything as an administrator?
No Short Leash code runs as an administrator. Setup asks once, to make the changes above, and that's all. See Privileges and security.