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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.
ModulePurpose
ApacheWeb server — serves your PHP projects and static files
PHPServer-side scripting language with PEAR and extra extensions
MySQLRelational database management system
MariaDBCommunity-developed MySQL-compatible database
PostgreSQLObject-relational database management system
Node.jsServer-side JavaScript runtime
MemcachedDistributed in-memory object caching system
MailpitLocal SMTP server with a web UI for catching test emails
XlightLightweight FTP server

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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.
ModulePurpose
ComposerDependency manager for PHP
GitVersion control system
NgrokSecure tunnel to expose localhost to the internet
PythonGeneral-purpose programming language
RubyDynamic, object-oriented programming language
PerlGeneral-purpose scripting language
PowerShellWindows scripting and automation shell
GhostscriptPostScript and PDF interpreter
BrunoAPI client for testing HTTP requests

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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.
ModulePurpose
phpMyAdminWeb interface for administering MySQL and MariaDB
phpPgAdminWeb interface for administering PostgreSQL

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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: 
bin/
  php/
    php8.1.0/      ← installed version
    php8.2.0/      ← installed version
    current -> php8.2.0/   ← symlink to 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.