# portctl SEO & Discoverability
## Meta
- **Name**: portctl
- **Tagline**: Fix broken dev servers instantly.
- **Description**: A fast, cross-platform CLI that detects, explains, and fixes port conflicts, zombie processes, and broken dev servers -- so you can get back to coding instantly.
- **Short description**: Fix port conflicts, debug processes, and recover dev environments instantly.
- **Category**: Developer Tools / CLI / Productivity
- **Language**: Rust
- **License**: MIT
- **Platforms**: macOS, Linux, Windows
## Primary Keywords
| kill process on port | User wants to free a port |
| port 3000 already in use | User hit EADDRINUSE error |
| EADDRINUSE | Node.js port conflict |
| lsof alternative | User wants a better tool |
| kill-port alternative | User wants a better kill-port |
| fkill alternative | User wants a better fkill |
| free port macOS | User needs to free a port on macOS |
| free port Linux | User needs to free a port on Linux |
| zombie process kill | User has stale processes |
| dev server stuck | Dev server crashed, port held |
| port conflict fix | Generic port conflict resolution |
| port scanner CLI | User wants to see open ports |
## Long-tail Keywords
- how to kill process on port 3000 macOS
- how to fix address already in use error
- how to find what is running on port 8080
- how to free port 3000 on macOS
- how to kill zombie process on Mac
- best CLI tool to kill port process
- alternative to lsof -i for port checking
- npm dev server port already in use fix
- Next.js EADDRINUSE port 3000 solution
- Vite port 5173 already in use
- Django port 8000 already in use
- fix port conflict after crash macOS
- automatically restart dev server after port kill
- developer productivity CLI tools 2026
- Rust CLI tools for developers
- port management tool for developers
- start dev stack with one command
- stop all dev servers one command
- monitor port auto restart crash
- check port free before starting server
- portctl up portctl down dev stack
- .portctl.toml config file
- lightweight docker-compose for local processes
- dev stack orchestration CLI
- port watch auto restart
- crash detection developer tool
- port registry conflict detection
- CI/CD port validation tool
- monorepo init auto detect ports
- multi-port fix kill command
- nextjs port auto increment detect
- smart port detection package.json
- dev staging profile switching CLI
- portctl ci non-interactive checks
- portctl use profile switching
- validate port assignments CLI
## Competitor Keywords
| kill-port | kill-port npm, kill-port alternative, better than kill-port |
| fkill | fkill alternative, fkill-cli replacement |
| npx kill-port | npx kill-port alternative |
| lsof | lsof alternative, better than lsof |
| docker-compose | lightweight docker-compose for local dev, local dev stack |
| dotenv | switch dev staging profiles, environment profile management |
## Content Strategy
### GitHub Topics (add to repo)
`port`, `cli`, `developer-tools`, `devserver`, `process`, `kill-port`, `port-conflict`, `eaddrinuse`, `rust`, `tui`, `developer-productivity`, `port-scanner`
### GitHub Description
Fix port conflicts, debug processes, and recover dev environments instantly.
### Social Sharing
- Twitter/X: "Tired of `lsof -i :3000 | kill -9`? Try `portctl fix 3000` -- identifies the process, checks safety, kills gracefully, suggests restart. Built in Rust, ~1.2MB. https://github.com/abhishekayu/portctl"
- Reddit r/rust: "I built portctl -- a CLI that replaces the lsof+kill workflow for fixing port conflicts. Written in Rust, classifies 13+ service types, has safety checks, and auto-restarts dev servers."
- Reddit r/webdev: "Every developer hits 'Port 3000 is already in use'. I built a CLI that fixes it in 3 seconds with safety checks and auto-restart."
- Hacker News: "Show HN: portctl -- Fix broken dev servers instantly (Rust CLI)"
### Dev.to / Blog Post Ideas
1. "Stop Using kill -9: A Smarter Way to Fix Port Conflicts"
2. "I Built a CLI That Makes 'Port Already in Use' Disappear"
3. "portctl: The Developer Productivity Tool You Didn't Know You Needed"
4. "From lsof to portctl: Modernizing Port Management"