Windows Setup Guide

Option A: Laravel Herd (The Easiest Way)

Laravel Herd is a lightning-fast, native development environment. It includes everything you need (PHP, Composer, Node.js) in a single installer.

1. Download: Go to herd.laravel.com and download the installer.

2. Install: Run the .exe file.

3. Done: You can now open your terminal and type php -v or composer and it just works!

Option B: The "php.new" Script (Command Line)

If you prefer using the terminal, there is a specialized script that automatically installs PHP 8.5, Composer, and Laravel, and configures your system path for you.

Instructions

1. Open the Start Menu: Press the Windows key.

2. Find PowerShell: Type Powershell.

3. Run as Administrator: Right-click the app and select "Run as Administrator".

4. Run the Command: Copy and paste the following command, then hit Enter:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://php.new/install/windows'))

1. Follow Prompts: The script will handle the rest.

2. Verify: Close PowerShell and open a new one. Type php -v.

Option C: Manual Setup (Laragon/XAMPP)

Note: This is the "Old School" way. Only use this if you are already familiar with these tools.

• Laragon: Download from laragon.org. It is excellent and comes with MySQL/HeidiSQL out of the box.

• XAMPP: Download from apachefriends.org.

Next Step: Database

If you used Herd or php.new, you still need a database.

• Download MySQL: dev.mysql.com/downloads/installer/

• Or use DBngin: A free tool to manage databases easily. dbngin.com (Highly Recommended to pair with Herd).