# Portfox

> Identify local services, find their projects, and free busy ports from your Mac’s menu bar. Install Portfox for macOS 15+ and Apple Silicon with Homebrew.

## Official links

- [Website](https://portfox.kandera.cz/): Product overview, features, and common questions.
- [Install](https://portfox.kandera.cz/#get-started): Homebrew installation instructions.
- [Source code](https://github.com/xergic/portfox): Application repository.
- [Creator](https://kandera.cz/): Ondra Kandera, Czechia.

## Installation

```sh
brew install --cask xergic/tap/portfox
```

## Common questions

### 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.