How to choose a local development environment

A local development environment runs your projects on your own computer the way they'll run in production. These are the questions worth asking of any of them, Short Leash included.

Does it run what you build?

List your stacks: PHP and which versions, Python, Node, Go, the databases and search engines. Check that each project can pick its own versions, and that you can run several at once without them clashing.

Containers or native?

Containers match production closely but cost memory, disk and start-up time, and files shared into a container are slower. Native environments run programs directly: faster and lighter, but versions must be installed per machine. Short Leash is native.

What does it change on your computer, and can you undo it?

Look for a written list of every system change, which ones need administrator rights, and a way to remove them all. Prefer tools whose own code never runs as an administrator. Short Leash's list is in What Short Leash changes.

Does HTTPS just work?

Sites should be served over HTTPS with certificates your browser trusts, without warnings, from a certificate authority that can only sign local names.

How do you debug?

Check for a request inspector, captured mail, dump() or log output, and step debugging that doesn't slow down every request.

Can you show a site to someone?

Sharing a local site on a public URL, ideally with a password, saves deploying just to get feedback or test a webhook.

What does it cost, and what does it collect?

Check the price, whether an account is required, and whether it sends analytics. Short Leash's core is free and Short Leash Pro costs $79 a year, with a 14-day trial; neither needs an account to start, and the app collects nothing.