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Bearsampp is fully self-contained: everything it needs — binaries, configuration, logs, SSL certificates, and your project files — lives inside a single root folder. You can place that folder anywhere on your machine or on a USB drive, and the entire stack moves with it. The structure below reflects the layout you see after a fresh installation. 
bearsampp/
├── alias/
├── apps/
├── bin/
├── core/
├── logs/
├── ssl/
├── tmp/
├── tools/
├── vhosts/
├── www/
├── bearsampp.conf    ← main settings file
└── bearsampp.ini     ← module versions and ports

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Folder reference

www/

Your web project files. Everything here is served by Apache at http://localhost/.

bin/

Service binaries — Apache, PHP, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Node.js, Memcached, Mailpit, and Xlight.

tools/

Command-line tools — Git, Composer, Ngrok, Python, Ruby, Perl, PowerShell, Ghostscript, and Bruno.

apps/

Web applications — phpMyAdmin and phpPgAdmin — served by Apache.

logs/

Log files for Bearsampp itself and for each running service.

alias/

Apache alias configuration files, one per alias you create through the tray menu.

vhosts/

Apache virtual host configuration files, one per virtual host you create through the tray menu.

ssl/

SSL certificate files and the OpenSSL configuration (openssl.cnf).

core/

Bearsampp’s internal engine — PHP classes, language files, and supporting assets. Do not modify.

tmp/

Temporary files created during operation. Bearsampp clears this folder on startup.

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Where to put your project files

Drop your project files into bearsampp/www/. Each subfolder becomes a URL path automatically: 
www/
  myproject/         → http://localhost/myproject/
  anotherapp/        → http://localhost/anotherapp/
  index.php          → http://localhost/
For projects that need a custom domain (like myproject.local), use a virtual host instead. See the Virtual Hosts guide for step-by-step instructions.

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Inside the bin/ folder

Each binary module has its own subfolder under bin/, and within it a separate folder per installed version. A current symlink always points to the active version: 
bin/
  apache/
    apache2.4.58/
    current -> apache2.4.58/
  php/
    php8.1.0/
    php8.2.0/
    current -> php8.2.0/
  mysql/
    mysql8.0.35/
    current -> mysql8.0.35/
Bearsampp manages these symlinks automatically when you switch versions from the tray menu.

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Alias and virtual host config files

The alias/ and vhosts/ folders contain Apache .conf files that Bearsampp generates and maintains for you. You should not edit these files manually — instead, use the tray menu actions Add an alias and Add a virtual host, which write the correct configuration and reload Apache for you. If you do need to customise a generated file, use the Edit option from the alias or virtual host submenu in the tray menu, which opens the file in your default text editor.

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Log files

The logs/ folder collects logs from all components:
FileContents
bearsampp.logGeneral Bearsampp activity log
bearsampp-error.logPHP and application errors
bearsampp-services.logService start, stop, and install events
bearsampp-startup.logEvents recorded during Bearsampp startup
bearsampp-batch.logOutput from internal batch operations
Individual service logs (Apache access/error, MySQL, etc.) are written into subfolders inside logs/ or inside each module’s versioned folder.

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Configuration files

The root folder contains Bearsampp’s own settings files:
  • bearsampp.conf — the main settings file. Stores your language, timezone, hostname, logging verbosity, startup behavior, and other global options. Bearsampp updates this file automatically when you change settings from the tray menu.
  • bearsampp.ini — stores active module versions and port assignments. Bearsampp rewrites this file whenever you switch versions or change ports.
Avoid hand-editing these files while Bearsampp is running. Use the tray menu to change settings so Bearsampp can update all dependent configuration files correctly. If bearsampp.ini becomes corrupted, use Rebuild bearsampp.ini from the tray menu to regenerate it.