- What is Valet Linux Plus and how does it differ from Laravel Valet?
- Valet Linux Plus is a lightweight Laravel development environment for Linux, forked from Valet Linux. It runs Nginx and DnsMasq locally so you can serve sites with valet link or valet park without Vagrant or Docker, and it supports multiple PHP versions and SSL. It is a host-level CLI and system service manager, not a Composer library you require into an application.
- How do I install Valet Linux Plus on Ubuntu or another Linux distro?
- Installation is a global bootstrap script that requires sudo and provisions host-level services such as Nginx, DnsMasq, PHP-FPM, and TLS via mkcert. It edits /etc/hosts, registers systemd units, and binds ports 80 and 443, so treat it as machine provisioning rather than an application dependency. Pilot it on one or two machines and codify the steps in a dotfiles setup, Ansible role, or onboarding runbook.
- Does Valet Linux Plus support Laravel 11 and Laravel 12?
- Yes, version 2.0.3 widens the dependency range to support both Laravel 11 and Laravel 12, removing a prior pinning constraint. This is a compatibility improvement rather than a migration hazard, but you should still confirm the PHP version matrix implied by each Laravel major. Pin the exact 2.0.3 version in your onboarding runbook instead of tracking main.
- Which PHP versions can I run with Valet Linux Plus?
- Valet Linux Plus supports multiple PHP versions through PHP-FPM, which is one of its main advantages for Laravel developers. For Laravel 11 and 12 applications, the natural pairing is PHP 8.2 or newer on Ubuntu, Debian, or Fedora workstations. Verify that the PHP-FPM packages for each version you need are available on your standard developer image.
- Can I use Valet Linux Plus alongside Docker, Laravel Sail, DDEV, or Laravel Herd?
- It is a poor fit if your team already standardizes on Docker, Laravel Sail, DDEV, or Laravel Herd because these tools compete for the same local stack. Valet Linux Plus binds ports 80 and 443 and registers its own Nginx and DnsMasq services, so running it alongside another local environment can cause port and DNS conflicts. Choose one local development stack per workstation and document coexistence rules if developers need to switch.
- How does SSL work in Valet Linux Plus?
- Valet Linux Plus provides local TLS through mkcert, which generates locally trusted certificates for your development sites. This is convenient for Laravel development, but locally generated CA certificates can pollute the system trust store if they are not managed carefully. Treat these certificates as development-only and document how to remove them if a developer leaves the team or changes tooling.
- What changed in Valet Linux Plus 2.0.3 and should I upgrade?
- Version 2.0.3 is a low-risk patch that fixes deprecated Valet HTTP/2 Nginx configuration directives and widens dependency support for Laravel 11 and 12. There are no API surface changes, config schema changes, or migrations. Upgrading from 2.0.2 is typically a git pull plus re-running the installer, but verify that Nginx reloads cleanly after the HTTP/2 configuration change. Teams on older distro-packaged Nginx should test for config parse failures before rolling it out.
- Why does Valet Linux Plus conflict with Nginx, Apache, or port 80 and 443?
- Valet Linux Plus binds ports 80 and 443 and runs its own Nginx and DnsMasq services, so it can conflict with Docker, Apache, a pre-existing Nginx installation, or systemd-resolved. Port contention and DNS resolver conflicts are the most common host-level risks with this kind of local development environment. Stop or disable conflicting services, or avoid mixing Valet Linux Plus with another local stack on the same workstation.
- Can I use Valet Linux Plus in CI or production?
- No, Valet Linux Plus is a local development environment for Linux workstations, not a production runtime or CI service. CI pipelines typically use containers or dedicated test services, so Docker, Laravel Sail, or your existing CI runner is a better fit. If you need to test host-level provisioning, script it carefully, but avoid treating this tool as an application dependency.
- How do I uninstall or roll back Valet Linux Plus, and is it actively maintained?
- Before standardizing, confirm the documented uninstall or rollback path in the repository, because removing a host-level tool means stopping and disabling services, removing systemd units, restoring /etc/hosts, and cleaning up locally trusted CA certificates. Valet Linux Plus is community-maintained with a small contributor base, and the 2.0.3 release included two first-time contributors, which is a sustainability risk for team-standard tooling. Evaluate whether it is the actively maintained fork or whether upstream Laravel Valet or Laravel Herd has superseded it for your target distributions. Pin version 2.0.3 and assign clear ownership for workstation tooling support.