A clearer view of localhost

Know what’s running.
Free the port.

Portfox is a macOS menu bar app for finding local development services and the ports they use.

Portfox names each local service, connects it to its project, and helps you free the port when you’re done.

Install Portfox See how it works

macOS 15+ · Apple Silicon · MIT licensed

A quick look at what’s listening

Finder

An illustration of the current app

Illustrative app preview / Menu bar

Less hunting. More building.

Three questions. One glance.

See the service, its project, and the port it occupies.

Know what’s running.

See the framework behind the port. Portfox identifies services from their processes and project files, even when you use custom ports.

Next.js · Vite · Expo · PostgreSQL · Redis

Find its home.

Connect each service to its project. Open the project in your editor, reveal it in Finder, or jump into its working directory in a terminal.

Service → project → working directory

Take back the port.

Stop a stuck server, inspect its process tree, or restart it in Terminal, iTerm2, or Warp.

Open · Inspect · Stop · Restart

Small app. Useful details.

Go deeper when
you need to.

Open the dashboard for a searchable service list, process metadata, and the ancestry behind each listener.

Inspect on your terms

Check a local HTTP service’s status, page title, and latency when you press Inspect.

Keep your projects in view

Group related services, hide infrastructure, and ignore listeners you don’t need to see.

Restart with logs in reach

Restart a development server in Terminal, iTerm2, or Warp, in its working directory, with its command restored.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

A few practical details before you install.

What is Portfox?

Portfox is a macOS menu bar app for finding local development services and the ports they use. It identifies the service, connects it to its project, and gives you controls to inspect or stop it.

How do I install Portfox?

Install the app with Homebrew using brew install --cask xergic/tap/portfox. Then open Portfox from Applications to see what is listening on your Mac.

Which Macs can run Portfox?

Portfox requires macOS 15 or newer and an Apple Silicon Mac.

How does Portfox identify a local service?

Portfox examines listening processes and project files to identify frameworks and associate services with their working directories. You can inspect the process tree behind a listener.

Can Portfox stop or restart a service?

Yes. Portfox can stop a local service and restart a development server in Terminal, iTerm2, or Warp with its project directory and command.

Make yourself at home.

Install Portfox with Homebrew, then open it from Applications to see what’s running on your Mac.

Explore the repository

Install with Homebrew

brew install --cask xergic/tap/portfox

Requires macOS 15+, Apple Silicon and Homebrew. Get Homebrew

Know what’s running.Free the port.