Upgrade Guide

Coming from the original Go-based Yerd (LumoSolutions/yerd, "v1")? This page covers what changed and how to move your local sites to v2.

This is a replacement, not an in-place upgrade.

Yerd v2 (forjedio/yerd) is a ground-up Rust rewrite. Different binaries, a different on-disk layout, an incompatible config format, and a redesigned command set. There is no automatic migration. You uninstall v1 and set up v2 fresh.

What changed

Area	v1 (Go)	v2 (Rust)
Privileges	leaned on `sudo` for most operations	rootless; elevates once, then runs as your user
PHP	built from source	prebuilt, signed static builds downloaded on demand
Platforms	-	macOS + Linux today (Windows on the roadmap)
Config & layout	v1's format	new, incompatible TOML config and layout
Commands	v1's names	redesigned; don't assume names carry over

So v2 installs small and fast (no compiler needed for PHP), doesn't ask for your password every time you touch a site, and behaves the same across operating systems.

Rootless by design

sudo appears in only two places: installing the system package (normal for any .deb/.pkg.tar.zst), and the one-time sudo yerd elevate. After that, day-to-day use never touches root. See Elevation & Privileges.

What does not carry over

v1 config is not read. v2 uses its own TOML config; see the Configuration Reference.
PHP versions are not reused. Reinstall the versions you need (fast, no compilation).
Sites are not migrated. Re-park and re-link them with the v2 commands below.
Command names may differ. Use the CLI Reference or yerd --help.
The local CA is regenerated. You trust the new CA once during setup.

Migration, step by step

1. Stop and remove the v1 install

Shut down anything v1 is running so it can't fight v2 over ports 80/443, the DNS resolver, or your .test domains. Stop its daemon/service, then uninstall the Go binary and its files.

If v1 changed your system DNS resolver or installed a CA into your trust store, undo those too (v1's own uninstall is the right tool). A stale resolver or trusted CA is the most common cause of "it half-works" symptoms after switching.

TIP

After removing v1, reboot or flush DNS so the OS forgets v1's resolver before v2 installs its own.

2. Install Yerd v2

See Getting Started for platform-specific instructions. The short version: download the Yerd app from the releases page -

The daemon (yerdd), the yerd CLI, and yerd-helper are all bundled inside the app; first launch starts the daemon. PHP is not bundled; you install versions in a later step.

3. Run the one-time privileged setup

The only command that uses root in normal use. It trusts the local CA, routes *.test to Yerd's DNS responder, and lets the daemon bind ports 80/443:

sudo yerd elevate

You can grant the pieces individually:

sudo yerd elevate trust       # trust the local CA in the system store
sudo yerd elevate resolver    # route *.test queries to Yerd's DNS responder
sudo yerd elevate ports       # allow the daemon to bind ports 80/443

Reverse any of these with sudo yerd unelevate (optionally trust, resolver, or ports). See Elevation & Privileges.

Ports without elevation

Skip sudo yerd elevate ports and the daemon falls back to 8080/8443. yerd doctor reports what's in effect.

4. Reinstall the PHP versions you need

These download prebuilt static builds, so it's quick:

yerd install php 8.5
yerd install php 8.3

Set a global default (this drives the terminal php shim and the per-site fallback):

yerd use 8.5

Check what's installed and what updates are available:

yerd list php                 # installed versions + the global default
yerd list php --available     # versions installable from the distribution
yerd list php --check         # refresh "update available" status (polls now)

See PHP Versions for installs, updates, and per-site pinning.

5. Re-park and re-link your sites

To turn a directory whose sub-folders should each become a .test site, park it:

yerd park ~/Sites
#   ~/Sites/blog  ->  http://blog.test

For a single project served under a name you choose, link it:

yerd link my-app ~/code/my-app
#   ->  http://my-app.test

Verify:

yerd sites                    # every parked or linked site
yerd list parked              # the registered parked directory roots

Later, yerd unlink <name> removes a linked site and yerd unpark <path> un-parks a directory. See Sites.

6. Turn HTTPS back on per site

HTTPS isn't on by default. Promote the sites that need it:

yerd secure my-app
#   ->  https://my-app.test  (trusted, via the local CA)

Use yerd unsecure <name> to turn it off. Since the CA was trusted in step 3, secured sites get a green padlock with no browser warnings. See HTTPS & Certificates.

7. Pin per-site PHP versions (optional)

The two-argument form of yerd use targets a single site:

yerd use my-app 8.3

8. Confirm everything is healthy

yerd status                   # daemon, proxy, DNS, ports, CA, PHP health
yerd doctor                   # diagnose common problems
yerd doctor fix               # attempt safe, unprivileged repairs

yerd doctor is most useful right after migrating: it flags a left-over v1 resolver, a port conflict, or an untrusted CA and tells you what to do. Add --json for machine-readable output. See Diagnostics.

Command map

Commands you'll use most while migrating. For the rest, see yerd --help and the CLI Reference.

Task	v2 command
Park a directory of projects	`yerd park <dir>`
Link one project as a named site	`yerd link <name> <dir>`
Remove a linked site	`yerd unlink <name>`
Un-park a directory	`yerd unpark <dir>`
List sites	`yerd sites`
List parked roots	`yerd list parked`
Install a PHP version	`yerd install php <version>`
Set the global PHP default	`yerd use <version>`
Pin a site's PHP version	`yerd use <site> <version>`
List / update PHP	`yerd list php` · `yerd update php [<version>]`
HTTPS on / off	`yerd secure <site>` · `yerd unsecure <site>`
One-time privileged setup	`sudo yerd elevate [trust\|resolver\|ports]`
Reverse setup	`sudo yerd unelevate [...]`
Health & repair	`yerd status` · `yerd doctor` · `yerd doctor fix`

Lineage

Yerd v2 is a ground-up rewrite of our own v1 package (LumoSolutions/yerd). v1 is reference-only: no command-surface or config-format compatibility. The full project lives at github.com/forjedio/yerd.

Where to go next

New to the concepts? See the Introduction and Features.
Setting up from scratch: Getting Started.
The full command list: CLI Reference.
The new config format and layout: Configuration Reference.

Upgrade Guide ​

What changed ​

What does not carry over ​

Migration, step by step ​

1. Stop and remove the v1 install ​

2. Install Yerd v2 ​

3. Run the one-time privileged setup ​

4. Reinstall the PHP versions you need ​

5. Re-park and re-link your sites ​

6. Turn HTTPS back on per site ​

7. Pin per-site PHP versions (optional) ​

8. Confirm everything is healthy ​

Command map ​

Where to go next ​