Quickstart

Assumes rexenv is installed and you have been through the first-run prompts.

Create a site

1. New site → choose WordPress → give it a name.

   The name becomes the domain: myshop becomes https://myshop.rex.

2. Pick a PHP version and a database engine, or take the defaults.

   Both are changeable later in one click, on an existing site, without rebuilding anything.

3. Create.

   The first site takes longer than the rest — this is where rexenv downloads the components it needs. Later sites reuse them.

4. Open https://myshop.rex.

   Real HTTPS, real green lock, no warning page, no port number.

Skip the login form

Magic login opens wp-admin as an administrator without a password. It is one click on the site’s page, and it is the single biggest time-saver in local WordPress work.

Where everything is

You want	Where
The files	The site’s Open folder button, or its path on the site page
The database	Adminer, deep-linked straight into this site’s database
Outgoing mail	Mail — every message the site sends is caught, none are delivered
Errors	The site’s Logs tab — PHP, nginx and the edge, in one place
A shell	The site’s Terminal tab, already in the docroot with the right PHP on PATH

Nothing your site sends leaves your machine. Password resets, order confirmations, plugin notifications — they all land in Mail, which is the point.

Change the PHP version

Open the site, pick a different version. That is the whole operation: the docroot, the certificate and the database are untouched, and the site is serving on the new version immediately.

Seven versions are available, 7.4 through 8.5. The ones past their php.net security-end date are badged as such wherever they appear, so choosing one is a decision rather than an accident.

From the terminal

The rex CLI drives the running app — Homebrew links it for you, and Settings installs it if you used the disk image.

rex status                 # what is running, and whether rexenv owns it
rex site list
rex site create myshop --type wordpress
rex site logs myshop --follow
rex site php myshop 8.3
rex db export myshop
rex doctor                 # what is wrong, and how to fix it

Over 40 commands cover the same ground as the UI. rex --help lists them.

Next

• Requirements — the macOS floor and the first-run download
• Uninstall — the in-app step that has to come first
• FAQ — why no Docker, why unnotarized, what about Windows