Control panel

Control panel

Start, stop and restart Apache, Nginx, MySQL, PostgreSQL and Redis in HF Server, open their config files and logs, and read the activity log.

The Control panel page is HF Server's home. It shows each server with its state, port, process ID and memory, and has buttons to start and stop them.

Where: HF Server › Control panel

Control panel screen

Start and stop everything

Button	What it does
Start all	starts every installed server
Stop all	stops every server
htdocs	opens the folder where your websites go
Shell	opens a command prompt with `php` and `mariadb` ready to use

The servers

Each server has a card:

Server	What it is	Main button
Apache	web server	Open site opens `http://localhost`
Nginx	second web server, on its own port (PHP through php-cgi)	Open site
MySQL	database (MariaDB)	phpMyAdmin
PostgreSQL	database	Manager opens PostgreSQL Manager
Redis	cache and queues	Shell

The card shows the state (Running, Stopped, Starting…, Stopping… or Not installed), the Port, the PID and the Memory used.

Control	What it does
Start / Stop	starts or stops that server
Install	(when not installed) opens Components
restart button	restarts the server (while it runs)
Config	opens its config files in your text editor
Logs	opens its log files

The Config menu shows which files are written by HF Server each time the server starts (generated) and which are yours to edit (your settings):

Server	Generated	Yours
Apache	`config/httpd.conf`	`config/httpd-custom.conf`, `php/php.ini`
Nginx	`config/nginx.conf`	`config/nginx-custom.conf`, `php/php.ini`
MySQL	`config/my.ini`	`config/my-custom.ini`, phpMyAdmin's `config.inc.php`
Redis	`config/redis.conf`	—
PostgreSQL	—	the data folder `data/postgres`

Important: don't edit the generated files. Your changes would be lost the next time the server starts. Put them in the custom files, which HF Server never changes.

PHP

The PHP card shows the PHP version (Ready or Not installed). PHP runs inside Apache, and through php-cgi for Nginx. Its buttons open php.ini, the PHP Errors log and phpinfo(). See PHP settings.

Summary cards

Under the servers, four cards link to the other pages:

Card	Shows
Sites	how many sites are in `htdocs`
Databases	how many databases and tables there are (MySQL must be running)
Tunnels	how many shared links are online
Mail	unread caught emails, and the mail catcher's port

Warnings and updates

Problems that need you, such as a missing Visual C++ Redistributable or a MySQL root password that doesn't match, are shown as warnings at the top, with a button to fix them. When a new version of HF Server is available, a notice says so with a Download button; your sites and settings are kept when you install it.

Activity

The Activity log at the bottom shows what HF Server does: servers starting and stopping, downloads, new sites, shares and caught emails. Full log opens logs/panel.log, and Clear empties the list in the window.

Tip: when a server won't start, the activity log says why, for example which program already has its port.

When a server won't start

Port in use: the activity log names the program that has the port. Close it, or change the port in Settings. Ports shows every program listening.
Windows: stops right away: install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable, then try again.
Linux: port 80 or 3306 busy: the system's own services may be running. Stop them with sudo systemctl disable --now apache2 mariadb.
macOS: if you started Homebrew's own Apache or MariaDB, stop them with brew services stop httpd mariadb.
Check the server's error log from its Logs menu.