Compare
localhost compared to pm2, tmux, Docker Compose and others
localhost runs the dev servers, workers and databases of your local projects from one window. Plenty of good tools overlap with it, and several of them are the better choice for some jobs. Here is where each one wins, and where localhost fits better.
| Tool | Where it wins | Where localhost fits better |
|---|---|---|
| pm2 | Supervising production processes on servers | Dev servers on your own machine, with a GUI |
| foreman, overmind, honcho | A shared Procfile in the repo, terminal and SSH workflows | Per-Service control, Port readiness and logs in a window |
| tmux, tmuxinator | Remote and headless work, interactive programs | State, Ports and process trees managed for you |
| Docker Compose | Containerized, reproducible stacks | Native commands next to your Compose services |
| concurrently | A one-line npm run dev for the whole team, in CI too | Per-Service control, Dependencies and kept logs |
| devglow, DevWebUI | Agent control over MCP today | MIT license; Linux packages (devglow has none) |
localhost vs pm2
A production process manager, mainly for Node.js/Bun apps, driven from the command line.
Where pm2 wins
- Keeping apps alive on a server: it restarts them when they crash and starts them again at boot.
- Cluster mode, to run one Node.js app on every CPU core.
- Headless machines and SSH sessions, where there is no window to open.
Where localhost fits better
- Development on your own machine: a window per Project, Start All in dependency order, one merged log.
- Built for development: your login shell’s
PATHand version managers, Port readiness and Dependencies between Services, instead of production supervision. - Nothing restarts on its own: a Service that fails stays Failed, with the reason and its output.
localhost vs foreman, overmind, honcho
Procfile runners: one command starts every process listed in a Procfile, with their output in one terminal. Overmind runs each process in tmux, so you can attach to it.
Where foreman, overmind, honcho win
- The
Procfileis committed with the code, so the whole team starts the same processes. - They run anywhere a terminal does, including headless machines and SSH sessions.
- The same
Procfileformat Heroku-style platforms read.
Where localhost fits better
- Unlike foreman and honcho, start, stop or restart one Service from a window (Overmind can restart one process too, from the terminal).
- Each Service is Running only once its Port accepts connections, and a taken Port says who holds it.
- Nothing is written into your repository; export a Project file when you want to share one.
localhost vs tmux, tmuxinator
A terminal multiplexer: panes and windows in one terminal, in sessions that outlive it. tmuxinator describes a project’s panes in a YAML file.
Where tmux, tmuxinator win
- Sessions survive closing the terminal and dropped SSH connections, on any server.
- Each process gets a real terminal, so interactive prompts and full-screen tools work. localhost uses pipes, not a terminal.
- Everything stays in the terminal, with no app to switch to.
Where localhost fits better
- Every Service’s state at a glance (Running, Failed with a reason) instead of reading panes.
- Stop ends the Service’s whole process tree, every time.
- Native on Windows, with Projects on Windows itself or inside WSL.
localhost vs Docker Compose
Defines and runs a multi-container application from a compose.yaml.
Where Docker Compose wins
- Reproducible, isolated environments: the same images on every machine and in CI.
- Databases, queues and other dependencies at pinned versions, with nothing installed on the host.
- The configuration is committed with the code.
Where localhost fits better
- Commands that run natively with your own toolchain, through your login shell, without a container.
- It runs Compose too: it suggests one Service per Compose service, run as
docker compose up <service>. Use both together.
localhost vs concurrently
An npm package that runs several commands at once in one terminal, each output line prefixed with its name.
Where concurrently wins
- It lives in
package.json, so everyone on the team gets it withnpm install. - It works in scripts and CI, where there is no window.
Where localhost fits better
- Start and stop each Service on its own, and see which one failed and why.
- Dependencies wait until a Service is Running before the next one starts.
- Logs kept per Run, and Projects that aren’t Node.js.
localhost vs devglow, DevWebUI
Other GUIs for local dev servers. devglow is a paid desktop app ($9.99 lifetime after a 7-day trial) for macOS and Windows. DevWebUI is a control panel served from a local daemon, under a noncommercial license, reading a .devwebui file in the repository.
Where devglow, DevWebUI win
- Both ship an MCP server today, so coding agents such as Claude Code and Cursor can start and stop processes. localhost doesn’t have one yet.
Where localhost fits better
- MIT license; Linux packages (devglow has none):
.deb,.rpmand AppImage. - A native SwiftUI app on macOS and one app for Linux and Windows.
- Environment Profiles, and Secrets kept in Keychain, Secret Service or Credential Manager.
What localhost isn’t
It isn’t a production or remote-server dashboard, a container or Kubernetes tool, a terminal emulator or a cloud service. It runs commands on your own machine, the way you would in a terminal, and remembers how each Project runs.
Install localhost or read the docs.