Databases & services

Flock installs databases, caches, search engines and object storage as native processes. They start in the background with Flock and shut down cleanly. Every build is downloaded from Flock's signed package list and checked before it is installed — nothing is compiled on your machine.

#Available services

PostgreSQL has its own section. See PostgreSQL.

#Installing and removing

Without a version, Flock installs the newest one. A different port lets two services that normally share one run side by side, for example MySQL and MariaDB: when you install MariaDB while MySQL already uses 3306, Flock suggests 3307. Uninstalling keeps your data unless you ask for it to be deleted.

Installing another version of a service you already have doesn't switch to it: the current one keeps running until you switch. When you uninstall the active version, the newest other installed version takes over.

AppCLI

Open Settings… from the Flock panel and go to Services. Switch the filter from Installed to All to see every service, and select one. Pick a Version and Port, then click the install button, for example Install MySQL 8.4.x (it shows the exact release; on Linux, it's Install).

Once a service is installed:

• Start and Stop it from its row.
• Switch… to another version, or Update to … the installed one, from its detail.
• Change its port with Change… next to Port in the detail (macOS and Linux), or the Port… button on its row (Windows).
• Remove it from the ⋯ menu: Uninstall MySQL 8.4… on macOS (Uninstall… on Linux), which asks whether to keep the data (Uninstall, Keep Data or Uninstall and Delete Data), or Uninstall… on Windows, where you tick Also delete its data to remove it.
• The service footer shows Last checked and Check for Updates. When several installed lines have updates, choose Install all updates (N) and confirm the listed lines and versions. Catalog service lines update one at a time. A failed or canceled line stops the batch, and the job card keeps its retry, dismiss, cancel, and log controls when those actions apply.

flock services                         # list services and their state
flock services install postgres
flock services install mysql 8.4
flock services install valkey
flock services install mariadb 11.8 --port 3307
flock services update mysql
flock services use mysql 8.0           # switch to another installed version
flock services list mysql              # versions, updates and data sizes
flock services create-db mysql acme
flock services uninstall mysql
flock services uninstall mysql --delete-data

create-db works for PostgreSQL, MySQL and MariaDB while the service is running. --port doesn't apply to PostgreSQL.

#Connecting from Laravel

These are the defaults:

#PostgreSQL

User postgres, no password. See PostgreSQL for databases and versions.

DB_CONNECTION=pgsql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=5432
DB_DATABASE=laravel
DB_USERNAME=postgres
DB_PASSWORD=

#MySQL / MariaDB

User root, no password. MariaDB uses DB_CONNECTION=mariadb.

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=laravel
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=

#MongoDB

Uses the mongodb/laravel-mongodb package and PHP's mongodb extension.

DB_CONNECTION=mongodb
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017
MONGODB_DATABASE=laravel

#Redis / Valkey

REDIS_CLIENT=phpredis
REDIS_HOST=127.0.0.1
REDIS_PASSWORD=null
REDIS_PORT=6379

redis-cli and valkey-cli are on your PATH. redis-cli talks to Redis when it is installed, else to Valkey. When neither is installed, it offers to install Valkey and start it.

#Meilisearch

No API key is needed locally.

SCOUT_DRIVER=meilisearch
MEILISEARCH_HOST=http://127.0.0.1:7700
MEILISEARCH_KEY=

#Typesense

SCOUT_DRIVER=typesense
TYPESENSE_HOST=127.0.0.1
TYPESENSE_PORT=8108
TYPESENSE_PROTOCOL=http
TYPESENSE_API_KEY=flock

#RustFS (S3-compatible storage)

RustFS includes a web console on the port after the API port (9001). Create a bucket named laravel there.

FILESYSTEM_DISK=s3
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=rustfsadmin
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=rustfsadmin
AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_BUCKET=laravel
AWS_ENDPOINT=http://127.0.0.1:9000
AWS_URL=http://127.0.0.1:9000/laravel
AWS_USE_PATH_STYLE_ENDPOINT=true

#Valkey or Redis?

Valkey is the open-source Redis: the same commands, and Laravel's Redis settings work with it unchanged. Flock offers it on every platform. Redis itself is available on macOS only.