Launched January 6, 2026
Port Smith
More than A Port Killer
FreeHelpers251 impressions#1433 of its week
Port killing is one of the simplest problems in development, but most tools somehow make it feel complicated. Many are overloaded with features or locked behind a paywall. A lot of developers just memorize the command and move on. I wanted to go a little deeper.
I wanted to understand what is actually happening on my Mac which ports are active what is using them and how everything connects from both a development and a basic security point of view. Port Smith is the first step toward that.
If you only want to kill a port and forget about it, this might not be the exact tool you need. But if you are curious about what is happening behind the scenes and want to manage your ports with more clarity, this is exactly why I built Port Smith.
The roadmap focuses on learning and clear visibility and it will always remain free.
Port Smith is a macOS app that visually detects, monitors, and lets you kill active ports with a single click.
- for
- macOS developers who need clear visibility into local port usage.
- pricing
- free
works withmacOS 14.0 or later
Key features
6 features of Port Smith
- Instant Port Detection — Find active ports on your Mac instantly and kill them with one click.
- Port Rename — Rename running ports to make identification easier.
- Path Discovery — View the full filesystem path of the process using each port.
- Auto Scan — Continuously monitor ports in the background for new activity.
- Killed Port History — See a history log of ports you have terminated.
- Real-time Notifications — Receive alerts when new ports open on your system.
Use cases
- Quickly free a port that is blocking a local development server.
- Continuously monitor for unexpected ports opening during testing.
- Identify which process is using a specific port to troubleshoot conflicts.
- Rename ports to keep track of multiple services running simultaneously.
Port Smith vs alternatives
 Port Smith |  dyrector.io |  PullBar Pro |  GItBrain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Visual port management on macOS | Container orchestration | GitHub PR visibility | Git management |
| Pricing | Free | Free | One time fee | Free |
| DevHunt upvotes | 0 | 26 | 27 | 16 |
| Launched | Jan 2026 | Jan 2023 | Jan 2024 | Jan 2023 |
- Port Smith vs dyrector.io: dyrector.io manages containers, not local ports.
- Port Smith vs PullBar Pro: PullBar Pro shows GitHub PRs in the menu bar, not port handling.
- Port Smith vs GItBrain: GItBrain is a Git client, unrelated to port detection.
Port Smith FAQ
What is Port Smith?+
Port Smith is a macOS application that provides a graphical interface for detecting, monitoring, and killing active network ports.
How is this different from using terminal commands?+
It offers point-and-click management, real-time notifications, and history without needing to remember or type terminal commands.
Is it safe to kill ports?+
Port Smith only terminates the selected process; it does not alter system files, but you should ensure the process is not critical before killing it.
Which macOS versions are supported?+
The app requires macOS 14.0 or later.
Summarized by DevHunt from portsmith.krishnadamaraju.dev · Oct 8, 2026. Details may change; check the official site.
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