localhost vs foreman, overmind, honcho
foreman, overmind and honcho start a Procfile from one terminal. localhost gives each Service its own start, stop, Port readiness and log, in a window.
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.
In one line
- Choose foreman, overmind, honcho for
- A shared
Procfilein the repo, terminal and SSH workflows - Choose localhost for
- Per-Service control, Port readiness and logs in a window
localhost is a free, open-source desktop app that runs your own commands, no Docker required, and isn’t a production or remote-server dashboard. Install it, start with the quick start, or read the guides.