Accessing Apps
Opening an App
Every app with a web interface shows an Open in Browser button in its detail view and in the menu bar dropdown. Click it to open the app in your default browser.
Local Domain Names
Every running app gets a .local domain name automatically. A running Paperless instance becomes reachable at:
http://paperless.local
The hostname is derived from the instance name:
- Spaces and special characters become hyphens
- The name is lowercased
- Unicode characters are replaced with hyphens
For example, "My Paperless" becomes http://my-paperless.local.
Device support: Local domain names work on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android 12 and later, and Windows 10 (build 1903) and later.
Accessing via localhost
Apps are also accessible at http://localhost:<port>, where the port is assigned automatically during installation. You can find the exact URL in the app's detail view.
This is useful when:
- You're working directly on your Mac and prefer explicit ports
- A
.localdomain doesn't resolve on your device - You need to configure a third-party tool that requires
localhost
Port Assignments
Lawn assigns ports automatically to avoid conflicts. You can see which port each app is using in the app's detail view under the ports section.
If you need a specific port (for example, to match a bookmark or mobile app configuration), you can change it in the port configuration.
Multiple Containers
Some apps run multiple containers internally (for example, a web app with a database). Lawn handles the networking between containers automatically. You only interact with the main web UI — the supporting services work seamlessly in the background.