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When Bearsampp starts, it registers its binary modules as named entries in the Windows Service Control Manager (SCM). This means each server process — Apache, MySQL, MariaDB, and the others — behaves like any other Windows service: it can be started, stopped, and restarted independently, it survives tray menu restarts, and it can be inspected with standard Windows tools like services.msc. You control all of this directly from the Bearsampp tray menu without touching any Windows settings yourself.
Bearsampp requires Administrator rights to install and manage Windows services. Always launch bearsampp.exe by right-clicking it and selecting Run as administrator.

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Service names

Each module registers under a fixed service name in the SCM. These names are how Windows identifies the processes internally:
ModuleWindows service name
Apachebearsamppapache
MariaDBbearsamppmariadb
MySQLbearsamppmysql
PostgreSQLbearsampppostgresql
Xlightbearsamppxlight
Memcachedbearsamppmemcached
Mailpitbearsamppmailpit
You can view these entries in the Windows Services panel (services.msc), but it is recommended that you manage them through the Bearsampp tray menu rather than directly through Windows.

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Starting, stopping, and restarting services

The tray menu gives you full control over individual services and all services together:
  • Start service / Stop service / Restart service — act on a single module from its submenu.
  • Start all services / Stop all services / Restart all services — act on every enabled binary module at once.
Bearsampp shows a progress window while services are starting or stopping, and the tray icon reflects the overall state: all running, some running, or none running.

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Changing service ports

Every binary module listens on a configurable port. To change a port, right-click the tray icon, navigate to the module’s submenu, and choose Change port. Bearsampp validates that the new port is not already in use, updates the module’s configuration files, reinstalls the service with the new port, and restarts it. You can also check whether a specific port is free using Check port from the same submenu.
If a service fails to start, the most common cause is a port conflict. Use Check port to find out which application is occupying the port, then either close that application or switch Bearsampp to a different port.

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Installing and removing services

Bearsampp installs a service for each enabled binary module automatically at startup. If a service entry is missing or becomes corrupted, you can reinstall it manually:
1

Open the module submenu

Right-click the Bearsampp tray icon and navigate to the binary module (for example, Apache).
2

Choose Install Service

Click Install Service. Bearsampp registers a new SCM entry for the module using the current version and port configuration.
3

Start the service

Once installed, click Start service to bring it online, or use Start all services to start everything at once.
To remove a service — for example, before uninstalling a module — navigate to the module’s submenu and choose Remove Service. Bearsampp stops the service if it is running and deletes the SCM entry.

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Online and offline mode

Apache supports an online/offline toggle that is separate from simply stopping the service:
  • Put Online — Apache serves your normal projects and the Bearsampp homepage at http://localhost.
  • Put Offline — Apache continues running but switches to a maintenance page for all requests, signalling to visitors (or yourself) that the server is temporarily unavailable.
This is useful when you need to perform maintenance on your database or configuration without fully stopping the web server. To toggle the mode, right-click the tray icon, navigate to Apache, and click Put Offline or Put Online.