herd Command Linux: Complete Guide to Managing Shepherd Services

The herd command in Linux is a powerful utility designed for managing Shepherd services, particularly in the context of Laravel development environments. This command provides developers and system administrators with comprehensive control over local development services, making it an essential tool for modern PHP development workflows.

What is the herd Command?

The herd command is part of Laravel Herd, a native macOS and Linux application that provides a minimal, fast Laravel development environment. It acts as a service manager that can start, stop, and manage various development services like PHP, databases, and web servers with simple command-line operations.

Key Features of herd Command

• Service Management: Control PHP versions, databases, and web servers
• Environment Switching: Switch between different PHP versions seamlessly
• Site Management: Link and unlink local directories to domains
• SSL Support: Generate and manage SSL certificates for local development
• Database Integration: Manage MySQL and other database services

Installation and Setup

Before using the herd command, you need to install Laravel Herd on your Linux system:

# Download and install Herd for Linux
curl -s https://herd.laravel.com/install | bash

# Verify installation
herd --version

Expected Output:

Laravel Herd 1.5.2

Basic Syntax and Options

The general syntax for the herd command follows this pattern:

herd [command] [options] [arguments]

Common Options

Essential herd Commands

1. Service Management Commands

Starting Services

# Start all Herd services
herd start

# Start specific service
herd start nginx
herd start mysql

Example Output:

✓ Starting Nginx...
✓ Starting PHP 8.2...
✓ Starting MySQL...
✓ All services started successfully

Stopping Services

# Stop all services
herd stop

# Stop specific service
herd stop mysql

Example Output:

✓ Stopping MySQL...
✓ Stopping PHP 8.2...
✓ Stopping Nginx...
✓ All services stopped

Restarting Services

# Restart all services
herd restart

# Restart specific service
herd restart php

2. PHP Version Management

Listing Available PHP Versions

herd php --list

Example Output:

Available PHP versions:
• 7.4.33
• 8.0.30
• 8.1.27
• 8.2.15 (current)
• 8.3.2

Switching PHP Versions

# Switch to PHP 8.3
herd php use 8.3

# Switch PHP version for specific site
herd php use 8.1 --site=myproject.test

Example Output:

✓ Switched to PHP 8.3.2
✓ Restarting PHP-FPM...
✓ PHP version updated successfully

3. Site Management

Linking a Site

# Link current directory to a domain
cd /path/to/your/project
herd link myproject

# Link with custom domain
herd link myproject --domain=custom.test

Example Output:

✓ Linked myproject to http://myproject.test
✓ Site is now accessible at http://myproject.test

Unlinking a Site

# Unlink current directory
herd unlink

# Unlink specific site
herd unlink myproject

Listing Linked Sites

herd sites

Example Output:

Linked Sites:
┌─────────────────┬─────────────────────────┬─────────────┐
│ Site            │ Path                    │ PHP Version │
├─────────────────┼─────────────────────────┼─────────────┤
│ myproject.test  │ /home/user/myproject    │ 8.2         │
│ api.test        │ /home/user/api          │ 8.3         │
│ blog.test       │ /home/user/blog         │ 8.1         │
└─────────────────┴─────────────────────────┴─────────────┘

4. SSL Certificate Management

Securing a Site with SSL

# Secure current linked site
herd secure

# Secure specific site
herd secure myproject

Example Output:

✓ Generating SSL certificate for myproject.test...
✓ Installing certificate in system keychain...
✓ Site secured: https://myproject.test

Removing SSL from a Site

# Remove SSL from current site
herd unsecure

# Remove SSL from specific site
herd unsecure myproject

5. Database Management

Managing MySQL Service

# Start MySQL service
herd mysql start

# Stop MySQL service
herd mysql stop

# Restart MySQL service
herd mysql restart

Creating and Managing Databases

# Create a new database
herd mysql create-db myproject_db

# Drop a database
herd mysql drop-db myproject_db

# List databases
herd mysql list-dbs

Example Output:

Databases:
• information_schema
• mysql
• myproject_db
• performance_schema
• sys
• test_database

Advanced herd Usage

Environment Configuration

Viewing Current Configuration

herd config

Example Output:

Herd Configuration:
┌─────────────────┬─────────────────────────┐
│ Setting         │ Value                   │
├─────────────────┼─────────────────────────┤
│ PHP Version     │ 8.2.15                  │
│ Nginx Status    │ Running                 │
│ MySQL Status    │ Running                 │
│ Sites Directory │ ~/.config/herd/sites    │
│ Logs Directory  │ ~/.config/herd/logs     │
└─────────────────┴─────────────────────────┘

Log Management

Viewing Service Logs

# View all logs
herd logs

# View specific service logs
herd logs nginx
herd logs php
herd logs mysql

# Follow logs in real-time
herd logs --follow

Service Status Monitoring

# Check status of all services
herd status

# Check specific service status
herd status mysql

Example Output:

Service Status:
┌─────────┬─────────┬──────────┬─────────────────┐
│ Service │ Status  │ PID      │ Port            │
├─────────┼─────────┼──────────┼─────────────────┤
│ Nginx   │ Running │ 12345    │ 80, 443         │
│ PHP 8.2 │ Running │ 12346    │ 9000            │
│ MySQL   │ Running │ 12347    │ 3306            │
└─────────┴─────────┴──────────┴─────────────────┘

Practical Examples and Use Cases

Example 1: Setting Up a New Laravel Project

# Create new Laravel project
composer create-project laravel/laravel my-awesome-app
cd my-awesome-app

# Link to Herd
herd link awesome-app

# Secure with SSL
herd secure awesome-app

# Set PHP version to 8.3
herd php use 8.3 --site=awesome-app.test

# Create database
herd mysql create-db awesome_app_db

Expected Workflow Output:

✓ Laravel project created successfully
✓ Linked awesome-app to http://awesome-app.test
✓ SSL certificate generated for awesome-app.test
✓ PHP version set to 8.3 for awesome-app.test
✓ Database 'awesome_app_db' created successfully
✓ Project accessible at: https://awesome-app.test

Example 2: Managing Multiple Projects

# Switch between projects with different PHP versions
cd ~/projects/legacy-app
herd link legacy --domain=legacy.test
herd php use 7.4 --site=legacy.test

cd ~/projects/modern-app  
herd link modern --domain=modern.test
herd php use 8.3 --site=modern.test

# Check all sites
herd sites

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Service Not Starting

If services fail to start, check the logs and service status:

# Check service status
herd status

# View error logs
herd logs --follow

# Restart problematic service
herd restart mysql

Port Conflicts

When ports are already in use:

# Check which process is using port 3306
sudo lsof -i :3306

# Stop conflicting services and restart Herd
sudo service mysql stop
herd restart mysql

SSL Certificate Issues

# Regenerate SSL certificates
herd unsecure mysite
herd secure mysite

# Trust certificates manually if needed
herd trust-ca

Performance Optimization

Monitoring Resource Usage

# Check Herd processes
herd status --detailed

# Monitor system resources
top -p $(pgrep -f herd)

Optimizing PHP Configuration

# View current PHP configuration
herd php config

# Edit PHP settings for specific version
herd php edit-config 8.2

Security Considerations

When using the herd command in development environments:

• Local Development Only: Herd is designed for local development, not production
• SSL Certificates: Use self-signed certificates only for development
• Database Security: Ensure development databases don’t contain sensitive production data
• Service Exposure: Services should only be accessible locally

Integration with Development Workflows

Docker Integration

# Use Herd alongside Docker for specific services
herd stop mysql
docker run -d -p 3306:3306 --name dev-mysql mysql:8.0

# Continue using Herd for other services
herd start nginx php

CI/CD Integration

# Automated testing setup
herd start
herd mysql create-db test_database
php artisan test
herd stop

Best Practices

1. Version Management: Use specific PHP versions for different projects to avoid compatibility issues
2. Regular Updates: Keep Herd updated to the latest version
3. Resource Monitoring: Regularly check service status and logs
4. Backup Configurations: Document your Herd setup for team consistency
5. Clean Environments: Periodically clean up unused sites and databases

Conclusion

The herd command provides a comprehensive solution for managing development services in Linux environments. Its intuitive interface, powerful service management capabilities, and seamless integration with Laravel development workflows make it an invaluable tool for modern PHP developers. By mastering these commands and following best practices, you can significantly streamline your development environment setup and management processes.

Whether you’re working on a single Laravel project or managing multiple applications with different PHP versions, the herd command offers the flexibility and control needed to maintain efficient development workflows. Regular practice with these commands will help you become more proficient in managing your local development environment effectively.