Localmost—Local servers made simple

Local servers made simple

Requires macOS Sonoma 14.6 or later
Last updated: 2026-05-20

Web development shouldn’t require a terminal. Localmost lets you spin up a local HTTP server by dragging a folder onto your menu bar. Boom.

Localmost does the boring parts. Multiple servers, automatic port assignment, access logs—all from a native menu bar app.

No need to have an elephant in the room just to serve a file or two.

Menu Bar

Always running, quick access, no dock clutter
Multiple Servers

Easily manage several servers at once
Drag & Drop

Drop a directory from Finder onto the icon to start serving
Directory Monitoring

Auto-stops server if missing, auto relocate on move
Auto Ports

Picks a port that just works, no worries about conflicts
State Restoration

Servers restart automatically on launch
File Types

Support for most common web file types
Directory Listings

Auto-generated when there's no index.html
Access Logs

Apache-style logs with viewer integration

Menubar-only application (no dock icon)
Dynamic icon: instantly see which servers are running
Optional server count display
Warning indicator (!) when any configured directory is missing
Drag-and-drop directory addition directly onto menubar icon

Server Management

Start/stop/restart individual servers
One-click “Start and Open in Browser” (Option+click)
Automatic port assignment starting from port 3000
Port conflict detection and resolution
Server state restoration on app relaunch
Visual status indicators (checkmark for running servers)

Directory Management

Add directories via drag-and-drop or file chooser
Custom aliases for server/directory names
Directory existence monitoring with filesystem watchers
Automatic server stop if directory is deleted/moved
“Locate Directory” option to relocate missing directories
“Forget Directory” to remove from configuration
Best practice macOS access permission management

File Serving

Hummingbird-based HTTP/1.1 server
Static file serving with proper MIME types
Auto-generated directory listings when no index.html
Cache-disabled headers for development
Path traversal protection
Support for most common web file types

Logging

Apache-style access logs per server
View individual or all logs
Clear individual or all logs
Integration with klogg viewer (if installed)
Log clearing with undo support (10-minute window)
Logs stored at ~/Library/Logs/Localmost/

Notifications

Server started/stopped/restarted notifications
Grouped notifications when multiple servers change state
“Open in Browser” action on start notifications
“Undo” action on log clearing notifications
Sound alerts for all server events

Settings

Show Confirmations - Toggle confirmation dialogs
Show Server Count - Display count in menubar
Launch at Login - Automatic startup

Optimised

Only 4.20 MB app download size
Less than 40 MB base memory footprint

How It Compares

Here’s how this app compares to other similar apps.

	Localmost	MAMP
Setup	Drag a folder	Configure stack
Menu bar app	✓	–
Multiple servers	✓	Pro
PHP / MySQL	–	✓
Auto port assignment	✓	–
Directory monitoring	✓	–
Access logs	✓	✓
Native Mac app	✓	✓
App size	4.20 MB	~900 MB

Does the app support PHP, databases, or server-side scripting?

No. Localmost is a static file server only. It serves HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, and other static files directly from the directory you choose. If you need PHP, MySQL, or other server-side processing, you’ll need a full stack like MAMP. Localmost is intentionally simple—it does one thing and does it well.

Localmost is not affiliated with Hummingbird

Menu Bar