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Just launched the Webhaven demo website. Check it out! 🚀

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  1. Home
  2. Webhaven documentation
  3. Handy resources
  4. What is DDEV?

Documentation

  • Documentation
    • Welcome
  • Get started
    • What is Webhaven?
    • Installation
  • Configuration
    • Drupal Canvas
    • Site settings
  • Theming
    • Introduction
    • Theme structure
    • Create a custom theme
    • Single Directory Components (SDC)
    • Component structure
    • An example component
  • Handy resources
    • Roadmap
    • What are Drupal recipes?
    • What is a Drupal site template?
    • What is Drupal Canvas?
    • Drupal Canvas vs Layout Builder vs Paragraphs
    • What is DDEV?
    • Useful DDEV commands
    • What is Drush?
    • Useful Drush commands

What is DDEV?

DDEV is an open source tool that gives you a ready-to-use local development environment for Drupal in minutes. 

It runs your site in Docker containers, so you get a consistent setup without installing PHP, a web server, or a database directly on your machine.

What does DDEV do?

DDEV wraps Docker in a simple set of commands so you do not have to manage containers by hand. From a single configuration file it builds a complete stack, a web server, PHP, and a database, tuned for your project. One command starts everything, and your site is reachable on a local URL right away.

What are the benefits of DDEV?

  • Fast setup. A full local environment is ready in minutes from one configuration file.
  • Consistent across the team. Everyone runs the same PHP, web server, and database versions, so it works the same on every machine.
  • Nothing installed on your host. Everything runs in containers, keeping your machine clean and free of version conflicts.
  • Built for PHP and Drupal. Sensible Drupal defaults with Drush, Composer, and Xdebug ready to go.
  • Easy to reset. Tear an environment down and rebuild it whenever you want a clean slate.

Why use DDEV for Drupal?

Drupal needs a specific stack to run well, and matching it by hand on every machine is tedious and error prone. DDEV ships with first-class Drupal support, so it configures the right PHP version, database, and document root for you, and bundles Drush and Composer so you can manage your site straight from the command line.

How Webhaven uses DDEV

Webhaven comes with a preconfigured DDEV setup out of the box. Instead of wiring up a local environment yourself, you start the project with a single command and get a working Drupal site running locally, ready to build on.

Ready to start using DDEV?

Once your environment is running, the day-to-day commands are what you will use most. See our Useful DDEV commands cheat sheet for the container, database, Drush, and Composer commands worth keeping close.

Support DDEV

DDEV is free and open source. If you enjoy using it, please consider showing your support for the project.

Can I see Webhaven in action?

Yes, you can see Webhaven in action here.

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