lodo

Run several projects on one Mac at once, each database and app on its usual port. Every project gets its own loopback address and a .test name, so media's Postgres listens on 127.0.1.3:5432 while blog's listens on 127.0.1.1:5432. lodo drives dnsmasq, macOS's /etc/resolver files and Caddy for you.

media.test -> 127.0.1.3 -> 127.0.1.3:5432 (Postgres), 127.0.1.3:3000 (Next)
blog.test  -> 127.0.1.1 -> 127.0.1.1:5432 (Postgres)
http://dashboard.blog.test -> Caddy on port 80 -> 127.0.1.1:3000

Full details: docs/reference.md.

Install

Needs macOS on Apple Silicon with Homebrew in /opt/homebrew, Go 1.27+, and an admin account. Never test on Linux but I think it's easy to get it works there.

brew install dnsmasq caddy                          # caddy only for names with a port
go install github.com/sangdth/lodo/cmd/lodo@latest  # ~/go/bin must be on your PATH
lodo setup                                          # once per Mac; asks for your password once

Setup backs up and edits Homebrew's dnsmasq.conf and Caddyfile, adds 127.0.1.1–127.0.1.50 to lo0, and installs a sudoers rule for one root script, so later changes never ask for a password. Running it again is safe. Run it again after you install Caddy, turn on the first HTTPS name, or when lodo doctor says "script out of date". What setup changes.

Use

cd ~/Projects/shop
lodo dev          # first run opens the setup form; later runs start the apps on their names
lodo dev --edit   # open the setup form again
lodo dev -y       # save what lodo proposes with no form: a new worktree gets hugger12.test on 127.0.1.12
lodo exec pnpm db:migrate  # run a command with the variables lodo dev sets
lodo ps           # the dashboard: every name with its checks

The setup form proposes the project's name, a name per app and the compose file to link. enter saves, esc cancels. lodo dev then runs <pm> run dev with a Node hook that moves each app onto the project's address, and exports DOCKER_HOST_IP and the project's .env values pointed at its names; no project file changes, so a .env copied from another worktree works as it is. Only Node apps get the hook: start other dev servers with their own host flag. lodo exec pnpm db:migrate runs a command with the same variables. The variables lodo dev sets.

For Docker, publish ports as "${DOCKER_HOST_IP:-127.0.0.1}:5432:5432".

Dashboard keys

Key	What it does
a	add a subdomain of the selected name
A	add a name; also enter on Add new domain
e	edit the selected name
d	delete it and its subdomains; y confirms
space	turn it on or off
s	turn HTTPS on or off; the name needs a port
l	link it to the project's compose file
p	preview the compose file, as lodo would change it
i	open the setup form for where lodo ps started
g	show dnsmasq's query log; g or esc goes back
r	read domains.json again and apply it
tab	move the keys to Caddy and dnsmasq, and back
q	quit; ctrl+c quits from anywhere
up down	move; j and k work too

Commands

Command	What it does
lodo dev	start the project in this folder on its names
lodo ps	open the dashboard
lodo setup	install or repair lodo on this Mac
lodo apply	apply domains.json after a hand edit, then check each name
lodo doctor	run eight checks; each failure prints its fix
lodo scan	show what this project lacks; --json, --name
lodo uninstall	undo setup; keeps ~/.config/lodo
lodo version	print the version

Something wrong? Run lodo doctor first, then see Troubleshooting. Google sign-in refuses .test callbacks; see Sign-in callbacks.

Development

go test -race ./...                       # all tests
go vet ./... && golangci-lint run ./...   # lint, config in .golangci.yml
go test ./internal/tui -update            # rewrite that package's golden files after an intended change
go run ./cmd/lodo doctor                  # run lodo from source

go build -ldflags "-X main.Version=v0.1.0" -o lodo ./cmd/lodo sets the version lodo version prints. docs/plan.md holds the design, docs/setup-log.md the hand test on a real Mac, and CLAUDE.md the layout and rules for changing the code.

Change it and use it right away

go install ./cmd/lodo   # replaces ~/go/bin/lodo

What you changed	After go install
TUI, messages, checks, the CLI	nothing, just run lodo ps or lodo dev
The listen hook, internal/dev/bind.cjs	nothing: the next lodo dev writes it
What goes into the generated dnsmasq or Caddy files	lodo apply
The root script, the sudoers rule or the loopback job	lodo setup, which asks for your password

lodo doctor tells you which applies: "script out of date" means lodo setup, and "generated files out of date" means lodo apply.