SayDeploy Plain comparisons of developer tools, AI coding tools included

Best local dev server managers for frontend developers in 2026

Compare Concurrently, hotel, Overmind, Process Compose and DevWebUI for running frontend dev servers, with questions to ask before you choose one.

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SayDeploy is published by LunarWerx, which makes some of the tools compared here.

Pick by how your frontend project starts and what runs beside it. hotel starts apps from the browser and provides local domains. [1] DevWebUI starts, stops and restarts local dev servers from one dashboard, and shows each one's status, CPU, memory and logs. [2]

OptionWhat its source says it doesWhere it runs or what it needs
ConcurrentlyWritten in Node.js, but it can run any commands. [3] Output is easy to follow with prefixes. [3]Works cross-platform, including Windows. [3] Works with yarn, pnpm and Bun as well as npm. [3]
hotelStarts apps from the browser and provides local domains. [1] Supports wildcard subdomains. [1]Works on macOS, Linux and Windows. [1] Requires Node to be installed. [1]
OvermindProcess manager for Procfile-based applications and tmux. [4] Can restart a single process on the fly without restarting the whole stack. [4]Supports Linux, *BSD and macOS only. [4] Requires tmux to be installed first. [4]
Process ComposeScheduler and orchestrator for non-containerized applications. [5] Can restart a process when its files change. [5]Single binary with no other dependencies, written in Go. [5] Terminal user interface or CLI modes. [5] Operating systems: not published.
DevWebUIStarts, stops and restarts local dev servers from one dashboard, with status, CPU, memory and logs. [2]Prebuilt Windows x64 app; on other systems it runs from source with Bun. [2]

What frontend developers need from local dev server managers

A frontend developer usually has a dev server running for the app, often alongside a mock API, a test watcher, or a small backend the app calls. The daily jobs are starting that set in one step, restarting one piece without stopping the rest, and reading the output of each piece without switching between terminal tabs.

Ports need attention in most projects. Two projects can want the same port, or an old process can still be holding it, so the developer has to find out which process it is before freeing the port.

The limits are practical. The operating system decides which tools run at all, and some tools need other software installed first, such as Node or tmux. Some tools are built around a Procfile, and some around containers, which can be more than a frontend project with one dev server needs. Some developers want the app opened under a readable local name, and some want hot reloading to keep working through that name. Cost and licence are worth checking too. The sections below say what each source states and nothing more.

Concurrently for frontend developers

Concurrently works cross-platform, including Windows. [3] Its --kill-others switch kills all commands if one dies. [3] The maxProcesses option limits how many processes run at once. [3] Check whether watching all command output in one terminal is enough for how you work.

hotel for frontend developers

hotel is a simple process manager for developers that starts apps from the browser and provides local domains. [1] It works on macOS, Linux and Windows. [1] Hotel development can be supported on Patreon. [1] Check whether opening apps from the browser matches how you start your dev server, and whether local domains fit how you name your projects.

Overmind for frontend developers

Overmind is a process manager for Procfile-based applications and tmux. [4] It currently supports only Linux, *BSD and macOS. [4] By default, Overmind starts one instance of each process. [4] Check whether your project uses a Procfile and tmux before you choose it.

Process Compose for frontend developers

Process Compose is a scheduler and orchestrator for managing non-containerized applications. [5] It is written in Go, so it is a single binary file with no other dependencies. [5] It can restart a process when its files change, optionally cascading to its dependents. [5] Check how those restarts should reach the processes your dev server depends on.

DevWebUI for frontend developers

DevWebUI is made by the team that publishes this site. It lets you start, stop and restart your local dev servers from one dashboard, and see each one's status, CPU, memory and logs. [2]

Open any managed server through DevWebUI's own port at <target>.localhost:4000, with HTTP and WebSocket (HMR) traffic passed through. [2]

Errors are collected into one log that merges repeats and is kept across restarts, and each file:line link opens in your editor. [2]

One small file per repo lists the servers to run, and changes made to running processes are written back to that file. [2]

When a port is already taken, it shows which process holds it and can free the port if you ask. [2]

Matching the tool to the job

If the job is starting a frontend server, an API and a test watcher together, Concurrently's maxProcesses option limits how many processes run at once. [3] Its --kill-others switch kills all commands if one dies. [3] DevWebUI starts, stops and restarts local dev servers from one dashboard, with status, CPU, memory and logs for each. [2]

For a process that should restart when its files change, Process Compose does that, and can cascade the restart to its dependents. [5] For errors you want to keep across restarts, DevWebUI collects them into one log that merges repeats. [2]

For a frontend you want to open under a local name in the browser, hotel starts apps from the browser and gives them local domains. [1] DevWebUI opens any managed server at <target>.localhost:4000 and passes HTTP and WebSocket (HMR) traffic through. [2]

When a stack of Docker services has to be running first, DevWebUI starts the repo's Docker stack, waits for its ports and sets environment variables for the app. [2] When a port is already taken, it shows which process holds it and can free the port if you ask. [2]

For a project that uses a Procfile and tmux, Overmind is a process manager for Procfile-based applications and tmux, and it supports Linux, *BSD and macOS only. [4] [4]

Questions to ask before you choose

Which operating system will you run it on? Overmind supports only Linux, *BSD and macOS. [4] DevWebUI has a prebuilt Windows x64 app, and on other systems you run it from source with Bun. [2]

Does your project use a Procfile? Overmind is a process manager for Procfile-based applications and tmux. [4] Check whether tmux fits your setup before you choose it.

Do you want a tool that is one file with nothing else to install? Process Compose is written in Go, so it is a single binary with no other dependencies. [5]

Do you need the frontend under a local name in the browser? hotel starts apps from the browser and gives them local domains. [1]

Do you need a list of servers that travels with the project? DevWebUI keeps one small file per repo that lists the servers to run. [2]

Frequently asked questions

Which local dev server manager works on Windows, macOS and Linux?

hotel's page says it works on macOS, Linux and Windows. [1] Concurrently works cross-platform, including Windows. [3] Overmind supports only Linux, *BSD and macOS. [4] DevWebUI has a prebuilt Windows x64 app, and on other systems you run it from source with Bun. [2] Check which systems you use before you choose.

Is DevWebUI free and open source?

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account. [2] It is open source under the MIT License. [2] An anonymous install ping is sent with update checks unless you set DEVWEBUI_NO_PING=1. [2] Check whether that ping and the MIT License suit your project.

Does Concurrently stop every command when one fails?

Concurrently has a --kill-others switch, and with it all commands are killed if one dies. [3] Its maxProcesses option limits how many processes run at once. [3] Check the tool's own documentation for what happens to the other commands without that switch. Test it on a small project first.

Does Process Compose restart a dev server when its files change?

Process Compose can restart a process when its files change, optionally cascading to its dependents. [5] It is written in Go, so it ships as a single binary with no other dependencies. [5] Check how restarts should reach processes that depend on your dev server.

Can DevWebUI open a frontend dev server through a local name?

DevWebUI opens any managed server through its own port at <target>.localhost:4000, and passes HTTP and WebSocket (HMR) traffic through. [2] When a port is already taken, it shows which process holds it and can free the port if you ask. [2] Check whether a name like that fits the way you open your app in the browser.

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account. [2]

Try DevWebUI

Sources

  1. hotel, github.com/typicode/hotel, read 2026-10-07
  2. DevWebUI's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)
  3. Concurrently, github.com/open-cli-tools/concurrently, read 2026-10-09
  4. Overmind, github.com/DarthSim/overmind, read 2026-10-07
  5. Process Compose, f1bonacc1.github.io/process-compose, read 2026-10-09

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