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Install Short Leash on Mac or Windows

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Short Leash installs like any other app, then asks once for administrator rights to set up .test addresses and trusted HTTPS: your password on a Mac, Windows's administrator prompt on Windows. Its own code never runs as an administrator.

Requirements

  • Mac: macOS 13 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. The MySQL and PostgreSQL services need macOS 15 or later.
  • Windows: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. See Short Leash on Windows for what's different there.
  • Ports 80 and 443 free on 127.0.0.1. Setup tells you which program holds them if they aren't.

Before you install

If you have an earlier version installed under its old name, remove it first: in that app, choose Settings › Remove › Remove system changes…, then quit it and delete it. Otherwise it keeps ports 80 and 443, and setup names it and waits until you quit it.

Install

  1. Download Short Leash for Apple silicon or Intel.

  2. Open the downloaded .dmg and drag Short Leash to Applications. Short Leash is signed and notarised by Apple, so it opens like any other app.

  3. Open Short Leash. It checks that ports 80 and 443 are free. If another program holds them, setup names it: quit that program and choose Check again. Short Leash never stops other programs for you.

  4. Enter your administrator password once. Setup makes two changes:

    Change Why
    /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 your user
    /etc/resolver/test Sends lookups for .test names to Short Leash's DNS server on 127.0.0.1:5354

  5. Trust the Short Leash certificate authority when macOS asks. It's added to your login keychain, and it can only sign .test names, so it can't be used to impersonate other websites.

  1. Download Short Leash for Windows.

  2. Run the installer. It installs for your user account only. The installer is signed through Azure Artifact Signing, so Windows can show who published it. Until the signature has built up a reputation, Windows may still show Windows protected your PC the first time: choose More info, check the publisher is Frank The Programmer LLC, then choose Run anyway.

  3. Open Short Leash. It checks that ports 80 and 443 are free, and names the program holding them if they aren't.

  4. Approve the administrator prompt once. Setup adds one name resolution rule that sends .test lookups to Short Leash.

  5. Trust the Short Leash certificate authority when Windows asks. It's added to your user's certificate store and can only sign .test names.

Settings › Remove reverses every change; see Remove Short Leash.

After setup

Short Leash starts with no sites. Add your projects next: Sites.

To use Short Leash's php, composer and leash commands in your own terminal, see Terminal.

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