README

A lightweight, secure-by-default PHP microframework built on Slim – providing Laravel-like features (ORM, authentication, migrations, caching) without the bloat.

WebFramework is a companion framework that extends the Slim Framework with a cohesive set of services for database management, ORM, caching, authentication, middleware, templating, and more. Perfect for developers who love Slim's simplicity but need full-featured components for building modern PHP applications and REST APIs.

Why WebFramework?

• Lightweight PHP Framework: Built on Slim's minimal foundation, WebFramework adds only what you need
• Laravel Alternative: Get Laravel-like features (ORM, migrations, auth) without the heavy footprint
• Slim Framework ORM: Built-in Entity/Repository pattern for database operations
• Slim Framework Authentication: Complete user management flows (registration, login, password reset, email verification)
• Secure-by-Default: Security best practices built into the framework
• PSR-7/PSR-15 Compliant: Modern PHP standards throughout
• Perfect for REST APIs: Ideal for building lightweight PHP APIs and microservices

WebFramework vs Laravel vs Slim

Use WebFramework if: You want Slim's simplicity with Laravel's convenience, or you're building a small-to-medium application that doesn't need Laravel's full feature set.

Quick Start

Installation

Install WebFramework via Composer:

composer require avoutic/web-framework

Or start with a skeleton project:

composer create-project avoutic/web-framework-skeleton

See the Installation Guide for detailed setup instructions.

Example: Building a REST API

<?php
// actions/GetUser.php
namespace App\Actions;

use WebFramework\Repository\UserRepository;

class GetUser
{
    public function __construct(
        private Repository $repository,
    ) {}

    public function __invoke(Request $request, Response $response, array $routeParams): ResponseInterface
    {
        $user = $this->repository->getObjectById($routeParams['id']);
        return $response->withJson($user);
    }
}

Check out the example application for a complete working demo.

Features

• Entity/Repository Pattern: Built-in ORM with type-safe entities and repositories
• Database Migrations: Version-controlled schema management
• Authentication & Authorization: Complete user management with email verification
• Input Validation: Type-safe request validation
• Middleware System: PSR-15 compliant middleware pipeline
• Templating: Latte templating engine integration
• Caching: Built-in caching support (Redis module available)
• Queue System: Asynchronous job processing
• Event System: Event-driven architecture
• Dependency Injection: PHP-DI integration
• Multi-language Support: Translation system
• Security: Built-in CSRF protection, secure sessions, and more

Overview

WebFramework applications typically have the following directory structure:

• actions: Contains files for each endpoint and related API functions.
• config: Contains the configuration files for the application.
• migrations: Contains the database migrations for the application.
• definitions: Contains the PHP-DI definitions for the application.
• public: The location for the core index.php and external static files like images, CSS, and JavaScript.
• scripts: Contains scripts for tasks, migrations, and other automation tasks.
• src: Contains the core application/business logic and model files.
• templates: Contains the templates used by the actions.
• tests: Contains the tests for the application.
• translations: Contains the translation files for the application.

Documentation

Complete documentation is available at web-framework.com.

Key Topics

• Installation Guide: Instructions for installing WebFramework and setting up a base project
• Migration Guide: Guidance on migrating between different versions of WebFramework
• Configuration Management: How to manage and access configuration settings
• Dependency Injection: How to use and configure dependency injection
• Database Usage: How to interact with the database, including queries and transactions
• Database Migrations: How to manage database schema changes
• Entities and Repositories: Understanding the Entity and Repository pattern
• Creating New Entities: Step-by-step guide to creating new entities and repositories
• Input Validation: How to add input validation to your actions
• Routing: How to set up and manage routes
• Middleware Management: How to define and use middleware
• Templating: How to use the Latte templating engine
• Caching: How to use caching to store and retrieve data
• Queueing: How to queue Jobs and handle them asynchronously
• Event Handling: How to trigger and handle Events with EventListeners

Common Use Cases

• Building REST APIs: WebFramework is perfect for creating lightweight PHP APIs with built-in ORM and authentication
• Adding ORM to Slim: If you're using Slim and need database management, WebFramework adds a complete Entity/Repository system
• Laravel Alternative: Need Laravel features without the complexity? WebFramework provides migrations, auth, and more on a Slim foundation
• Microservices: Build small, focused services with WebFramework's minimal footprint

Modules

Extend WebFramework with optional modules for specific needs:

• avoutic/web-framework-mysql: MySQL database module
• avoutic/web-framework-redis: Redis caching and queueing module
• avoutic/web-framework-postmark: Postmark mail module
• avoutic/web-framework-sentry: Sentry.io instrumentation module
• avoutic/web-framework-stripe: Stripe payment integration
• avoutic/web-framework/browserless: Browserless automation module

See the modules documentation for details.

Requirements

• PHP 8.2 or higher
• Composer
• PSR-7/PSR-15 compatible web server

License

WebFramework is open-source software licensed under the MIT license.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Whether you're fixing bugs, adding features, or improving documentation, your help makes WebFramework better for everyone.

• Report Issues: Found a bug? Open an issue on GitHub
• Submit Pull Requests: Have a fix or feature? Submit a PR
• Improve Documentation: Help make the docs better by submitting improvements
• Share Your Experience: Built something cool with WebFramework? Let us know!

Community & Support

• Documentation: web-framework.com
• GitHub: github.com/avoutic/web-framework
• Example App: github.com/avoutic/web-framework-example
• Packagist: packagist.org/packages/avoutic/web-framework

Made with ❤️ for the PHP community