A DDEV GUI: DevWorkspace Pro and the DDEV CLI

Looking for a DDEV GUI? DevWorkspace Pro is a desktop app that drives the DDEV CLI and builds a workspace around it. This is not a head-to-head: DDEV is the runtime, and DevWorkspace Pro sits on top.

If you live in the terminal and DDEV already gives you everything you need, keep using the CLI on its own. If you want to see many DDEV projects at once, and you'd like AI agents, GitHub and security scans for every project, add DevWorkspace Pro on top.

Side by side

How they fit together

DDEV is a free, open-source CLI for Docker-based PHP and Node.js development environments, licensed under Apache-2.0. It ships quickstarts for many frameworks and CMSs, including Laravel, WordPress, Drupal, TYPO3, Magento 2, Craft and Symfony. It also has 150+ add-ons, hosting integrations and ddev share.

DevWorkspace Pro gives every project on your machine the same core workspace: terminal, files, Git, GitHub and AI sessions. DDEV projects get extra runtime tools:

• start and stop
• services and add-ons
• the database card
• streamed logs
• an Xdebug toggle
• the PHP Scratchpad

Under the hood, these run ordinary DDEV commands such as ddev xdebug toggle.

Do you need more than the CLI?

The DDEV CLI alone is enough if:

• You work in the terminal and your editor and want nothing else.
• You run one or two projects at a time.
• You use DDEV in CI or on a server where no desktop app runs.

DevWorkspace Pro is worth adding if:

• You run many DDEV projects and want their status, services and logs in one list.
• You'd rather switch PHP versions, toggle Xdebug or add a database without editing YAML.
• You also have projects outside DDEV: Sail, Docker Compose, Next.js, .NET or Flutter.
• You run Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode in your DDEV projects and want to resume sessions after a restart.
• You want dependency security scans, GitHub issues and Actions and uptime monitoring.

What the DDEV CLI does better

• Free and open source. DDEV costs nothing and is community-funded.
• Scriptable. Every action is a command, so it slots into CI, scripts and dotfiles.
• The full feature set. Every DDEV feature lands in the CLI first. DevWorkspace Pro shows a part of them.
• Hosting integrations. Pull and push for Acquia, Lagoon, Pantheon and Upsun.
• Sharing. ddev share works with ngrok or cloudflared.

Using DevWorkspace Pro with DDEV

DevWorkspace Pro is built to sit on top of DDEV, so there is little to set up.

• On first launch it lists the projects that ddev list already knows. See Import Projects.
• Any ddev command runs in the Terminal tab. Use ddev ssh for a shell in the web container.
• The Upgrade DDEV recipe updates DDEV on your computer.
• On Windows, pick your WSL distribution in Preferences → General → WSL Distribution.

Bringing other projects into DDEV

• From Laravel Sail. The Sail to DDEV recipe converts the project in place.
• From Docker Compose. No need to convert. The Services card manages Compose services as they are.
• From a native setup. Create a DDEV project in the same folder, then import the database with ddev import-db.

Sources

• DDEV home (OS support, license, funding): https://ddev.com
• DDEV GitHub (Apache-2.0, PHP and Node.js): https://github.com/ddev/ddev
• DDEV container runtimes: https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/install/docker-installation/
• DDEV quickstarts: https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/quickstart/
• DDEV hosting providers: https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/providers/
• DDEV sharing: https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/topics/sharing/
• DDEV add-on registry: https://addons.ddev.com/
• DDEV 2026 plans (AI): https://ddev.com/blog/2026-plans/
• DevWorkspace Pro docs: https://docs.devworkspacepro.com/ddev-projects