Multi-Version Runtime Management

Overview

Envloom provides comprehensive runtime management for your local development stack. Install and manage multiple versions of PHP, Node.js, MariaDB, and Nginx simultaneously, with the ability to switch between versions instantly.

All runtimes are installed locally within Envloom’s bin directory, keeping your system clean and isolated from global installations.

Supported Runtimes

PHP

Thread-safe x64 builds from windows.php.net with per-version FPM configuration

Node.js

Managed via nvm-windows with automatic version switching

MariaDB

Official MariaDB releases with local data directory

Nginx

Latest stable releases from GitHub with auto-configuration

PHP Runtime Management

Version Installation

PHP versions are organized by major.minor lines (e.g., 8.3, 8.2, 8.1). Envloom automatically fetches the latest builds from the official PHP for Windows releases.

Browse Available Versions

Navigate to Runtime > PHP to see available major versions (8.3, 8.2, 8.1, 8.0, etc.)

Install a Version

Click Install next to any PHP line to download and configure the latest build for that version

Set as Current

Use the Set as Current button to make a version the global default via junction link

Version-Specific Configuration

Each PHP version gets its own php.ini with:

Base template: Shared configuration in config/php/php.ini
Version overrides: Per-version settings in config/php/{major.minor}.ini
Managed values: Memory limit and upload size controlled via UI
Required extensions: Automatically enabled (PDO, OpenSSL, cURL, mbstring, zip, etc.)

php.ini structure

; --- Envloom required extensions ---
extension=pdo_sqlite
extension=sqlite3
extension=pdo_mysql
extension=openssl
extension=curl
; --- /Envloom required extensions ---

; --- Envloom managed values ---
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
memory_limit = 256M
; --- /Envloom managed values ---

PHP-FPM Service

Envloom runs php-cgi.exe as FastCGI Process Manager for each installed PHP version:

Base port: 9000 (configurable)
Port calculation: base_port + (major * 10 + minor)
- PHP 8.3 → port 9083
- PHP 8.2 → port 9082
- PHP 8.1 → port 9081

All installed PHP versions run simultaneously, allowing per-site version selection.

CLI Shims

Envloom creates command-line shims for easy access:

Available PHP commands

# Global current version
php --version

# Version-specific commands
php83 --version
php82 artisan migrate
php81 composer install

Update Management

Envloom checks for updates hourly (configurable in Settings):

Auto-check: Background update detection every hour
Manual update: Click Update button when newer build is available
Cache: Release information cached for 1 hour

Node.js Runtime Management

NVM Integration

Node.js is managed through nvm-windows (Node Version Manager):

Local installation: Envloom installs nvm-noinstall.zip to bin/nvm
Version storage: Node versions in bin/node/{version}
Current symlink: Active version at bin/node/current

Installing Node Versions

Desktop UI
CLI

Open Runtime > Node
Browse available major versions (22, 20, 18, 16, etc.)
Click Install to download the latest version for that major
Use Set as Current to switch the active version

# Install specific major version
loom node 22

# Install and switch to specific version
loom node 20.11.0

# List installed versions
loom list node

Version Switching Behavior

Only the first Node.js installation automatically runs nvm use. Subsequent installations don’t change the current version unless explicitly requested.

Node.js version management

# Check current version
node --version

# Available via PATH
npm --version
npx --version

MariaDB Runtime Management

Version Management

MariaDB is not auto-downloaded on first launch. You must manually install versions:

Select Major Version

Navigate to Runtime > MariaDB and choose a major line (11.x, 10.x, etc.)

Install

Envloom downloads the latest Windows x64 ZIP from the official MariaDB downloads API

Set Root Password

A modal prompts for the root password before installation begins

Initialization

Envloom runs mysql_install_db.exe and configures the data directory

Configuration

Each MariaDB version gets its own my.ini configuration:

MariaDB configuration

[mariadb]
port=3306
bind-address=127.0.0.1
log_error=logs/mariadb/mariadb.error.log
general_log=1
general_log_file=logs/mariadb/mariadb.general.log
slow_query_log=1
slow_query_log_file=logs/mariadb/mariadb.slow.log

[client]
user=root
password=your_password

Port and root password are configurable from Runtime > MariaDB settings.

Database Shims

Envloom creates both MySQL-compatible and MariaDB-native shims:

Database CLI access

# MariaDB commands
mariadb -u root -p
mariadb-admin status

# MySQL-compatible aliases
mysql -u root -p
mysqladmin status

Nginx Web Server

Installation

Nginx is automatically downloaded during bootstrap:

Source: Latest stable release from nginx/nginx GitHub repository
Location: bin/nginx/{version}
Current link: bin/nginx/current junction points to active version

Auto-Configuration

Envloom automatically configures Nginx for local development:

Global logs: logs/nginx/access.log and logs/nginx/error.log
Site includes: Automatic include sites/*.conf; directive
FastCGI setup: Pre-configured PHP-FPM integration

nginx.conf modifications

http {
    error_log     logs/nginx/error.log;
    access_log    logs/nginx/access.log;
    include       sites/*.conf;
    # ... rest of config
}

Service Management

Nginx lifecycle is managed automatically:

Auto-start: Launches on app startup (configurable)
Config test: Runs nginx -t before starting
Auto-reload: Reloads when site configs change
Auto-stop: Graceful shutdown when Envloom closes

If Nginx fails to start, check logs/nginx/error.log for configuration errors. The UI will display the last 80 lines of the error log.

Runtime Shims & PATH Management

Envloom manages your Windows PATH environment variable with a single entry pointing to bin:

Shim System

Current version shims (point to junction links):

bin/php.cmd → bin/php/current/php.exe
bin/mysql.cmd → bin/mariadb/current/bin/mysql.exe
bin/nginx.cmd → bin/nginx/current/nginx.exe

Versioned shims (direct version access):

bin/php83.cmd → bin/php/8.3/php.exe
bin/php82.cmd → bin/php/8.2/php.exe
bin/mysql114.cmd → bin/mariadb/11.4/bin/mysql.exe

Utility shims:

bin/composer.cmd → runs php bin/composer/composer.phar
bin/loom.cmd → CLI interface to Envloom

Clean PATH

Envloom automatically removes legacy entries when switching versions, keeping your PATH clean with only one bin directory.

Removed legacy paths:

bin/php/current
bin/nginx/current
bin/mariadb/current/bin
bin/shims (old shim location)
bin/composer

Update Checks

Background update detection runs every hour (when autoUpdate is enabled):

Cache Check

Envloom checks if the release cache is older than 1 hour

Fetch Latest

Downloads release metadata from:

PHP: windows.php.net/downloads/releases/releases.json
MariaDB: downloads.mariadb.org/rest-api/mariadb/
Nginx: api.github.com/repos/nginx/nginx/releases

Compare Versions

Compares installed builds with latest available versions

UI Notification

Shows Update button on runtime cards when newer version exists

Update checks require internet connectivity. If the fetch fails, Envloom uses the cached release data.

CLI Commands

Runtime management from CLI

# List installed versions
loom list php
loom list node

# Check current versions
loom current

# Switch global version
loom php 8.3
loom node 22

# Install new version (UI only for now)
# Use the desktop app to install new versions

Troubleshooting

PHP-FPM Not Starting

Check if port is already in use: netstat -ano | findstr :9083
Review PHP error log: logs/php/php-8_3.error.log
Verify php-cgi.exe exists in version directory
Check php.ini syntax

MariaDB Won’t Initialize

Ensure root password was set during installation
Check logs/mariadb/mariadb.error.log
Verify mysql_install_db.exe or mariadb-install-db.exe exists
Port 3306 must be available

Nginx Config Test Fails

Run nginx -t manually from bin/nginx/current
Check syntax in sites/*.conf files
Verify all referenced certificate files exist
Ensure port 80/443 are available

Site Management

Learn how sites use runtime versions

Services

Control service lifecycle and status

Get Started

Core Features

Runtimes

Configuration

Troubleshooting

​Overview

​Supported Runtimes

PHP

Node.js

MariaDB

Nginx

​PHP Runtime Management

​Version Installation

​Version-Specific Configuration

​PHP-FPM Service

​CLI Shims

​Update Management

​Node.js Runtime Management

​NVM Integration

​Installing Node Versions

​Version Switching Behavior

​MariaDB Runtime Management

​Version Management

​Configuration

​Database Shims

​Nginx Web Server

​Installation

​Auto-Configuration

​Service Management

​Runtime Shims & PATH Management

​Shim System

​Clean PATH

​Update Checks

​CLI Commands

​Troubleshooting

​PHP-FPM Not Starting

​MariaDB Won’t Initialize

​Nginx Config Test Fails

​Related Documentation

Site Management

Services

Overview

Supported Runtimes

PHP Runtime Management

Version Installation

Version-Specific Configuration

PHP-FPM Service

CLI Shims

Update Management

Node.js Runtime Management

NVM Integration

Installing Node Versions

Version Switching Behavior

MariaDB Runtime Management

Version Management

Configuration

Database Shims

Nginx Web Server

Installation

Auto-Configuration

Service Management

Runtime Shims & PATH Management

Shim System

Clean PATH

Update Checks

CLI Commands

Troubleshooting

PHP-FPM Not Starting

MariaDB Won’t Initialize

Nginx Config Test Fails

Related Documentation