Getting started

Getting Started

This guide walks you through the shortest path from installation to a working local Govard project.

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1. Initialize a Project

Navigate to your project root and run:

cd /path/to/your/project
govard init

Govard inspects composer.json or package.json, detects the framework, and writes .govard.yml.

Detected Frameworks

Framework	Detection
Magento 2	composer.json with magento/product-community-edition, magento/product-enterprise-edition, or magento/framework
Mage-OS	composer.json with mage-os/product-community-edition or mage-os/project-community-edition
Magento 1 / OpenMage	composer.json with magento-hackathon/magento-composer-installer, openmage/magento-lts, or colinmollenhour/modman
Laravel	artisan file + composer.json with laravel/framework
Next.js	package.json with next dependency
Emdash	Project markers from the Emdash scaffold (src/app layout + Emdash config)
Drupal	composer.json with drupal/core or drupal/core-recommended
Symfony	composer.json with symfony/framework-bundle
Shopware	composer.json with shopware/core
CakePHP	composer.json with cakephp/cakephp
PrestaShop	config/defines.inc.php or composer.json with prestashop/prestashop
WordPress	wp-config.php or wp-login.php
Django	manage.py at project root
Dagster	workspace.yaml or dagster.yaml at project root
Custom	Interactive stack picker (govard init --framework custom)

Force a Specific Framework

govard init --framework magento2
govard init --framework custom

Migrate from other tools

If you are transitioning from Warden or DDEV, Govard can automatically detect your setup and seamlessly copy your local database volume so you don't lose any data:

govard init --migrate-from warden
govard init --migrate-from ddev

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2. Start the Environment

govard env up

This renders a per-project compose file under ~/.govard/compose/ and starts your specialized stack.

Common Variants

govard up --quickstart           # Alias: govard env up
govard env up --pull             # Pull latest images first
govard env up --fallback-local-build  # Build images locally if pull fails

Startup Pipeline

1. Detect framework context
2. Validate config, Docker, ports, and prerequisites
3. Render compose file into ~/.govard/compose/
4. Start containers in detached mode
5. Verify proxy and host wiring

Root Shortcuts

Shortcut	Equivalent
govard up	govard env up
govard down	govard env down
govard restart	govard env restart
govard ps	govard env ps
govard logs	govard env logs

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3. Configure the App

Magento 2 Projects

Auto-inject container settings into app/etc/env.php:

govard config auto

View Current Config

govard config get php_version
govard config get stack.services.db

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4. Enter the Workspace

govard shell

• PHP frameworks (Magento, Laravel, etc.): opens the php container at /var/www/html
• Node-first frameworks (Next.js, Emdash): opens the web container at /app

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5. Access Your App and Global Services

Govard routes project domains through the shared Caddy proxy and provides built-in services for development:

Project URLs

Target	URL	Command
App URL	https://<project>.test	Open in browser
Admin panel	https://<project>.test/admin	govard open admin
Mail testing	https://mail.govard.test	govard open mail
Database admin	https://pma.govard.test	govard open db
Docker management	https://portainer.govard.test	govard open portainer

Global Services Credentials

Service	URL	Credentials
Portainer	https://portainer.govard.test	admin / AdminGovard123$
PHPMyAdmin	https://pma.govard.test	Use project's DB credentials
Mailpit	https://mail.govard.test	No login required

Application Admin

Govard seeds the same admin account everywhere, and the Project URLs table above opens it:

Target	Credential
Project admin panel	admin / AdminGovard123$
Portainer	admin / AdminGovard123$

The account is written during govard bootstrap, both for a fresh install and for a clone, and the completion banner prints it whenever it was actually applied. Three situations change what you get:

• A cloned Magento 2 or Mage-OS database usually already contains a user named admin. Govard keeps that user and its source password, the banner prints only the admin URL, and the bootstrap output names the command that resets it to the shared credential.
• A project bootstrapped before this credential existed keeps the password it was created with. Nothing rewrites an existing database.
• govard bootstrap --no-admin only skips the user Govard creates for a Magento 2 or Mage-OS clone. A fresh install still seeds the account through setup:install, and Magento 1, OpenMage, WordPress and Drupal always seed it.

The banner prints the framework's default route (/admin for Magento, /wp-admin for WordPress). Magento 2 and Mage-OS resolve a route moved in the database when you open the panel with govard open admin; a Magento 1 or OpenMage project that moved its admin route in app/etc/local.xml still sees the default in the banner.

Quick Commands

# Open services
govard open mail     # Mailpit
govard open db       # PHPMyAdmin
govard open admin    # Project admin panel

# Manage global services
govard svc up        # Start all global services
govard svc down      # Stop all global services
govard svc ps        # View service status

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🔁 Daily Workflow

# Start work
govard up

# Follow logs
govard logs php -f

# Toggle Xdebug
govard debug on

# Enter shell
govard shell

# Stop work
govard down

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🌐 Bootstrap a Remote Clone

To clone an existing environment from a remote server:

govard bootstrap --clone -e staging --no-pii --no-noise

For a fresh framework installation:

govard bootstrap --framework magento2 --fresh --framework-version 2.4.9
govard env up
govard open admin

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🩺 First Troubleshooting Checks

govard doctor
govard doctor trust   # Fix browser SSL warnings

If your browser shows HTTPS trust warnings after setup, run govard doctor trust to re-import the Root CA.

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📋 What's Next

Topic	Link
All CLI commands	CLI Commands
Configuration options	Configuration
Framework-specific notes	Frameworks
SSL and DNS setup	SSL and Domains
Remote environments	Remotes and Sync
Desktop app	Desktop App

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