File Structure & Paths

Overview

Envloom organizes all runtime binaries, configuration files, logs, and site configurations in a predictable directory structure. Understanding this layout is essential for troubleshooting, manual configuration, and integration with other tools.

In production builds, Envloom’s root directory is the folder containing Envloom.exe. In development, it uses the src-tauri/bin directory relative to the project root.

Root Directory Structure

The Envloom installation directory contains the following key folders:

Envloom/
├── Envloom.exe              # Main application executable
├── bin/                     # Runtime binaries and shims
├── config/                  # Configuration templates
├── logs/                    # Centralized logging directory
└── sites/                   # Site-specific nginx configs and SSL certificates

bin/ - Runtime Binaries

All runtime executables, version-specific installations, and shims are stored in the bin directory:

bin/
├── php/
│   ├── 8.1/                 # PHP 8.1 installation
│   │   ├── php.exe
│   │   ├── php-cgi.exe
│   │   ├── php.ini          # Version-specific php.ini
│   │   └── ext/             # PHP extensions
│   ├── 8.2/                 # PHP 8.2 installation
│   ├── 8.3/                 # PHP 8.3 installation
│   └── current/             # Junction to active PHP version
├── node/
│   ├── 18.0.0/
│   ├── 20.0.0/
│   └── current/             # Junction to active Node version
├── mariadb/
│   ├── 10.11/
│   │   ├── bin/
│   │   │   ├── mariadb.exe
│   │   │   ├── mysql.exe    # May be symlink or actual binary
│   │   │   └── mysqladmin.exe
│   │   ├── my.ini           # MariaDB configuration
│   │   └── data/            # Database files
│   ├── 11.4/
│   └── current/             # Junction to active MariaDB version
├── nginx/
│   ├── 1.27.4/
│   │   ├── nginx.exe
│   │   └── conf/
│   └── current/             # Junction to active Nginx version
├── nvm/
│   ├── nvm.exe              # Node Version Manager
│   └── settings.txt         # NVM configuration
├── composer/
│   └── composer.phar        # Composer dependency manager
├── _downloads/              # Temporary downloads (auto-cleaned)
├── php.cmd                  # Shim for current PHP
├── php81.cmd                # Version-specific PHP 8.1 shim
├── php82.cmd                # Version-specific PHP 8.2 shim
├── php83.cmd                # Version-specific PHP 8.3 shim
├── composer.cmd             # Composer shim
├── nginx.cmd                # Nginx shim
├── mariadb.cmd              # MariaDB client shim
├── mysql.cmd                # MySQL-compatible client shim
├── mysqladmin.cmd           # MySQL admin shim
└── loom.cmd                 # Envloom CLI shim

The bin directory is added to your system PATH automatically, making all shims globally accessible from any terminal.

Shims Explained

Shims are small batch files that route commands to the appropriate runtime version:

bin/php.cmd

@ECHO OFF
"%~dp0php\current\php.exe" %*

This allows you to run php from anywhere and automatically use the currently active version.

Version Junctions

The current directories are Windows junctions (symbolic links) that point to the active runtime version. When you switch versions via UI or CLI, Envloom updates these junctions.

# Example: current points to 8.3
bin/php/current → bin/php/8.3

config/ - Configuration Templates

Configuration templates are stored here and applied to runtime installations:

config/
├── php/
│   ├── php.ini              # Base php.ini template
│   ├── 8.1.ini              # PHP 8.1 overrides
│   ├── 8.2.ini              # PHP 8.2 overrides
│   └── 8.3.ini              # PHP 8.3 overrides
└── mariadb/
    └── my.cnf               # Base MariaDB config template

PHP Configuration Templates

Envloom uses a layered configuration approach for PHP:

Base template (php.ini): Contains required extensions and common settings
Version-specific overrides (8.1.ini, 8.2.ini, etc.): Optional customizations per major version
Runtime logging block: Automatically injected with paths to version-specific logs
Managed values block: Auto-generated from UI settings (memory limit, upload size)

When you modify PHP settings in the UI or edit these templates, Envloom regenerates the final php.ini in each runtime’s directory.

Don’t edit php.ini files directly in bin/php/<version>/php.ini. Instead, modify the templates in config/php/ so changes persist across runtime updates.

MariaDB Configuration Template

The my.cnf template contains:

Port configuration
Root password (for client connections)
Log file paths
Performance settings

This template is copied to bin/mariadb/<version>/my.ini for each installed MariaDB version.

logs/ - Centralized Logging

All service and runtime logs are centralized in the logs directory:

logs/
├── runtime.log              # Envloom application log
├── php/
│   ├── php-8_1.error.log    # PHP 8.1 error log
│   ├── php-8_2.error.log    # PHP 8.2 error log
│   └── php-8_3.error.log    # PHP 8.3 error log
├── nginx/
│   ├── access.log           # Global Nginx access log
│   ├── error.log            # Global Nginx error log
│   ├── example.test.access.log    # Site-specific access
│   └── example.test.error.log     # Site-specific errors
└── mariadb/
    ├── mariadb.error.log    # MariaDB error log
    ├── mariadb.general.log  # Query log (if enabled)
    └── mariadb.slow.log     # Slow query log

Access all logs through the desktop UI’s Logs page, which provides real-time viewing with automatic refresh.

Log File Rotation

Envloom does not automatically rotate logs. For production-like environments, consider implementing manual log rotation or cleanup:

# Clear all logs (PowerShell)
Remove-Item -Path "C:\Path\To\Envloom\logs\**\*.log" -Force

sites/ - Site Configuration

Per-site nginx configurations, SSL certificates, and local CA are stored here:

sites/
├── example.test.conf        # Nginx vhost for example.test
├── another.test.conf        # Nginx vhost for another.test
├── ca/
│   ├── EnvloomCA.pem        # Local Certificate Authority cert
│   └── EnvloomCA.key        # Local CA private key
└── certs/
    ├── example.test.crt
    ├── example.test.key
    ├── another.test.crt
    └── another.test.key

Nginx Site Configurations

Each linked site gets a dedicated .conf file with:

Server name (domain)
Document root path
PHP-FPM upstream configuration (version-specific port)
SSL certificate paths
Access and error log paths

Example site configuration

example.test.conf

server {
    listen 80;
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name example.test;
    root "C:/Projects/example/public";
    index index.php index.html;

    ssl_certificate "C:/Envloom/sites/certs/example.test.crt";
    ssl_certificate_key "C:/Envloom/sites/certs/example.test.key";

    access_log "C:/Envloom/logs/nginx/example.test.access.log";
    error_log "C:/Envloom/logs/nginx/example.test.error.log";

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9083;  # PHP 8.3 port
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

SSL Certificates

Envloom maintains a local Certificate Authority (CA) in sites/ca/ and generates per-site certificates in sites/certs/. When you enable SSL for a site:

A certificate is generated and signed by the local CA
The CA certificate is installed in the Windows Trusted Root store (with UAC prompt)
The site certificate is referenced in the nginx configuration

You only need to trust the CA certificate once. All site certificates will then be automatically trusted.

Global Configuration

The global application settings file is stored outside the Envloom installation directory:

%USERPROFILE%\.envloom\config.json

This contains settings like:

autoStartServices
autoUpdate
startWithWindows
startMinimized

See Global Settings for detailed documentation.

PATH Management

Envloom manages your system PATH automatically. Manual modifications are not recommended.

On first run, Envloom adds a single entry to your user PATH:

C:\Path\To\Envloom\bin

This single entry exposes all shims (PHP, Node, Composer, MySQL, etc.) globally. When you switch runtime versions, the shims automatically route to the new version—no PATH changes required.

Verifying PATH

Check if Envloom’s bin directory is in your PATH:

echo %PATH%

Or test a shim directly:

where php
# Should output: C:\Path\To\Envloom\bin\php.cmd

Cleanup and Maintenance

Removing Old Runtime Versions

Old runtime installations can be removed via:

UI: Navigate to the runtime page (PHP/Node/MariaDB) and click Uninstall on unused versions
Manual: Delete the version directory from bin/<runtime>/<version>

Clearing Download Cache

Temporary downloads are stored in bin/_downloads/ and usually auto-cleaned after extraction. To manually clear:

Remove-Item -Path "C:\Path\To\Envloom\bin\_downloads\*" -Recurse -Force

Orphaned Site Configs

When you delete a site from Envloom, the nginx .conf file and logs are automatically removed. If manual cleanup is needed:

# Remove a specific site config
Remove-Item "C:\Path\To\Envloom\sites\example.test.conf"

# Remove associated logs
Remove-Item "C:\Path\To\Envloom\logs\nginx\example.test.*"

Global Settings

Configure auto-start, auto-update, and Windows integration

Per-Site Config

Override PHP versions and settings per project

Viewing Logs

Access and interpret Envloom’s logging system

Get Started

Core Features

Runtimes

Configuration

Troubleshooting

File Structure & Paths

Overview

Root Directory Structure

bin/ - Runtime Binaries

Shims Explained

Version Junctions

config/ - Configuration Templates

PHP Configuration Templates

MariaDB Configuration Template

logs/ - Centralized Logging

Log File Rotation

sites/ - Site Configuration

Nginx Site Configurations

SSL Certificates

Global Configuration

PATH Management

Verifying PATH

Cleanup and Maintenance

Removing Old Runtime Versions

Clearing Download Cache

Orphaned Site Configs

Global Settings

Per-Site Config

Viewing Logs

Get Started

Core Features

Runtimes

Configuration

Troubleshooting

​Overview

​Root Directory Structure

​bin/ - Runtime Binaries

​Shims Explained

​Version Junctions

​config/ - Configuration Templates

​PHP Configuration Templates

​MariaDB Configuration Template

​logs/ - Centralized Logging

​Log File Rotation

​sites/ - Site Configuration

​Nginx Site Configurations

​SSL Certificates

​Global Configuration

​PATH Management

​Verifying PATH

​Cleanup and Maintenance

​Removing Old Runtime Versions

​Clearing Download Cache

​Orphaned Site Configs

​Related Topics

Global Settings

Per-Site Config

Viewing Logs

Overview

Root Directory Structure

bin/ - Runtime Binaries

Shims Explained

Version Junctions

config/ - Configuration Templates

PHP Configuration Templates

MariaDB Configuration Template

logs/ - Centralized Logging

Log File Rotation

sites/ - Site Configuration

Nginx Site Configurations

SSL Certificates

Global Configuration

PATH Management

Verifying PATH

Cleanup and Maintenance

Removing Old Runtime Versions

Clearing Download Cache

Orphaned Site Configs

Related Topics