Installer & Updates

NSIS installer, paths, and auto-update architecture.

Installer and updates

DevStackBox ships as Windows installers (NSIS and MSI). This page describes install paths, how user data is kept separate from app binaries, and how updates work today vs what Phase 4 adds.

Installers

Format	Typical size	Notes
NSIS	~150 MB	Default download from GitHub Releases
MSI	~290 MB	Alternative bundle for enterprise-style deploy

Both installers require Windows 10/11 (64-bit) and administrator rights for installation.

Default install directory: C:\devstackbox (you can choose another path during setup).

Download: devstackbox.com/download

App vs data directory separation

DevStackBox separates replaceable app files from user data so updates never destroy databases or projects. See ADR 006 for the full decision record.

App root (install directory - safe to replace on upgrade):

C:\devstackbox\
  DevStackBox.exe
  apache/
  php/
  mysql/
  phpmyadmin/
  resources/

User data root (never touched by the updater or installer uninstall options that preserve data):

%LOCALAPPDATA%\DevStackBox\
  www/              web projects
  mysql-data/       MySQL data directory
  config/           runtime Apache, MySQL, PHP configs
  config-backups/   automatic config backups
  logs/             service logs
  backups/          full backups created in-app

Override the user data path with DEVSTACKBOX_DATA_DIR if needed.

Config files in httpd.conf and my.cnf reference paths under the user data root, not under the install directory.

Update check (shipped)

The app includes tauri-plugin-updater and an Auto-check updates preference (Settings → Updates). When enabled:

Checks GitHub Releases on launch and every 6 hours
Shows a header indicator when a newer version exists
Manual Check for updates on the About page always available

This finds updates; installing them today is via downloading and running the latest installer (see Upgrading).

Auto-update flow (Phase 4.3 - in progress)

Safe in-place auto-install requires:

Phase 1.8 - user data outside the install directory
Updater plugin wired in the app
Updater endpoint and signing keys in tauri.conf.json
Pre-update service shutdown (Apache + MySQL)
Config backup and configVersion migration runner
End-to-end test: install v0.X.Y → update to v0.X.Y+1 with data intact

Target milestone: v0.2.0 (Roadmap). Release signing and publishing steps are in Release process.

Uninstall

Use Settings → Apps → Installed apps in Windows. Uninstall options can preserve %LOCALAPPDATA%\DevStackBox\ so sites and databases remain if you reinstall later.

Last updated: July 23, 2026Edit this page

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