The SitePoint PHP blog has posted an article adding to some of the others about the recently released Laravel Valet tool, providing an overview of the product and what it has to offer.

Valet is a tool which makes spinning up demo or discardable projects a breeze.

It’s a tool which combines some of the default software on OS X with some ideas about filepaths and serving of PHP apps, and some additional tools for skipping the need to modify the /etc/hosts file. Additionally, it allows for forwarding of access to the local application over the public internet when needed.

Unlike Vagrant or Docker It offers no isolation, making all apps use the same globally available software. Why this is important to note will be explained below.

The post then gets into some of "the particulars" the tool has to offer, essentially the "lock in" requirements:

• OS X only
• Shared system state (no VMs, only global)
• Automatic virtual host
• No dev / prod parity
• Vendor-lock (with a caveat)
• Live self-hosted preview

They point out that while Laravel Valet can be a handy tool if this is the tooling and setup you're looking for, it might not be for everyone.