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Bearsampp organises everything it ships into three distinct module types: Binaries are services that run in the background as Windows processes (your web server, databases, and runtimes), Tools are command-line utilities you invoke directly in a console, and Applications are web interfaces you open in a browser. Every module lives in its own versioned folder, can be individually enabled or disabled, and can be switched to a different version at any time without touching the rest of your stack.

Binaries

Server processes registered as Windows services. Start, stop, and restart them from the tray menu.

Tools

Command-line utilities available in any Bearsampp console session. No PATH editing required.

Applications

Web-based admin interfaces served by Apache and accessible at http://localhost.

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Binaries

Binaries (TYPE: bins) are the core server processes. Each binary is registered as a named Windows service and managed through the Windows Service Control Manager (SCM). You can start, stop, or restart them individually from the tray menu, or use Start all services / Stop all services to act on all of them at once.

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Tools

Tools (TYPE: tools) are command-line programs that don’t run as persistent services. Bearsampp adds them to the environment PATH inside its own console sessions, so you can use them immediately without changing your system PATH.

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Applications

Applications (TYPE: apps) are browser-based admin interfaces bundled as PHP web apps. They are served by Apache and accessible from the Bearsampp homepage at http://localhost.

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Versioned folders and version switching

Every module stores each of its versions in a dedicated subfolder named after the module ID and version number. For example, PHP 8.2.0 lives at bin/php/php8.2.0/. Bearsampp creates a current symlink inside each module’s root folder that always points to the active version:
To switch versions, right-click the tray icon, navigate to the module, and choose a version from the Versions submenu. Bearsampp updates the symlink, rewrites all affected configuration files, resets the Windows service, and restarts the service automatically.
You can have multiple versions of the same module installed at the same time. Only one version can be active per module, but switching takes only a few seconds.

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Enabling and disabling modules

Each module can be enabled or disabled independently. A module is considered enabled when its versioned folder exists on disk. You can toggle a module from the tray menu under the module’s submenu using Enable / Disable. Disabled modules do not start at launch and do not appear as active services.
If you don’t use PostgreSQL or Xlight, disable them to reduce startup time and free up system ports.