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👁️ LocalhostWatcher

Keep your localhost apps visible, healthy, and easy to reopen. A lightweight macOS menu bar app that monitors your local development servers.

Download Release Website

🌐 Get It Now

Website: https://akakika.com/localhostwatcher/
Download: LocalhostWatcher-1.0.dmg

💡 The Problem

You're running multiple local development servers:

  • React app on :3000
  • API on :8080
  • Database on :5432
  • Redis on :6379

Which ones are actually running? Which ones crashed? Which ports are available?

Checking each one manually is tedious. Activity Monitor is overwhelming. Terminal commands are forgettable.

✨ The Solution

LocalhostWatcher lives quietly in your menu bar and keeps track of everything for you.

  • ✅ Auto-discovers active localhost services
  • ✅ Health-checks each port to see if it's responding
  • ✅ Shows unhealthy services at a glance
  • ✅ Quick open/stop actions from menu bar
  • ✅ Optional auto-relaunch on login

No configuration needed. Just install and it works.

🚀 Features

Feature Description
🔍 Auto-Discovery Scans common development ports automatically
💚 Health Checks HTTP requests to verify services are responding
🔴 Status Indicators Visual feedback for healthy/unhealthy services
⚡ Quick Actions Open or stop services with one click
🔄 Auto-Relaunch Save selected apps to restart on login
📊 Menu Bar Dashboard At-a-glance view of all your services
🔒 Local-Only No data leaves your machine

📋 What It Monitors

LocalhostWatcher automatically scans common development ports:

  • Web Servers: 3000, 3001, 8000, 8080, 8888
  • Databases: 5432 (PostgreSQL), 3306 (MySQL), 27017 (MongoDB)
  • Cache: 6379 (Redis), 11211 (Memcached)
  • API Servers: 4000, 5000, 8001, 9000
  • Custom: Add your own ports

🎬 How It Works

1️⃣ Install & Launch

Download the DMG, drag to Applications, and launch.

2️⃣ Auto-Discovery

LocalhostWatcher scans for active ports and identifies the processes behind them.

3️⃣ Health Check

Each service gets an HTTP health check to verify it's responding.

4️⃣ Monitor & Manage

  • Green = Healthy and responding
  • Red = Port active but not responding
  • Gray = No service detected

5️⃣ Quick Actions

Click to open in browser, stop the process, or mark for auto-relaunch.

🛠️ Tech Stack

  • Swift + SwiftUI — Native macOS app
  • Menu Bar App — Lightweight, always accessible
  • Network Scanning — Port detection and health checks
  • Process Management — Identify and control running services
  • Launch Agent — Auto-relaunch on login

📥 Installation

Download & Install

  1. Download LocalhostWatcher-1.0.dmg
  2. Open the .dmg file
  3. Drag LocalhostWatcher to Applications folder
  4. Launch from Applications (or Spotlight: ⌘Space → "LocalhostWatcher")

First Launch

  • macOS may ask for confirmation — click "Open"
  • Grant network permissions when prompted
  • App appears in menu bar as 👁️ icon

🎯 Use Cases

Web Developers

Monitor your React, Vue, or Next.js dev servers alongside your API backends.

Full-Stack Engineers

Keep track of databases, caches, and microservices all in one place.

DevOps

Quick health checks before deploying or testing integrations.

Students

Learn what ports are active on your system and what they're running.

⚙️ Configuration

Auto-Relaunch on Login

  1. Open LocalhostWatcher from menu bar
  2. Find the service you want to auto-start
  3. Click the pin icon (📌)
  4. Next login: LocalhostWatcher will relaunch it automatically

Custom Ports

Edit the configuration file to add custom port ranges:

{
  "customPorts": [9000, 9001, 9002]
}

🙋 FAQ

Q: Does this slow down my system?
A: No! LocalhostWatcher is extremely lightweight. Health checks run every 30 seconds in the background.

Q: Can it monitor remote servers?
A: No, LocalhostWatcher only monitors localhost (127.0.0.1) for security and privacy.

Q: Does it work with Docker?
A: Yes! If your Docker containers expose ports to localhost, they'll be detected.

Q: Is it free?
A: Yes, completely free.

Q: What if a service requires authentication?
A: Health checks only verify the port is responding (HTTP 200/301/302). Authentication isn't required for basic status.

🔮 Roadmap

  • Custom health check endpoints (e.g., /health)
  • Notification alerts for service crashes
  • Service groups (organize by project)
  • Export service list to JSON/Markdown
  • Dark mode customization
  • Windows/Linux support

👨‍💻 Author

KIKA — Digital craft and macOS systems

📄 License

MIT — open source. See LICENSE.

Built with ❄️ by KIKA
Last Updated: May 2, 2026