How do you collect and handle OpenTelemetry data?

For people that aren't using nightwatch, what does your set up look? Do you have any package recommendations?

https://redd.it/1p68u7d
@r_php

Laravel Tagged Cache

https://github.com/BrekiTomasson/laravel-tagged-cache

I wrote this package to scratch my own itch, basically as a wrapper around the "tags" feature of Laravel's Cache facade. Give it a spin and let me know what you think, I feel it solves a lot of headaches when working with tags and cache in general.

https://redd.it/1p6f5oe
@r_php

SymfonyCon Amsterdam 2025: Developing the developer: Journaling with AI
https://symfony.com/blog/symfonycon-amsterdam-2025-developing-the-developer-journaling-with-ai?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Symfony%20Blog%20Feed

https://redd.it/1p6hlyn
@r_php

Laravel 12 now officially supports PHP 8.5.
https://github.com/laravel/framework/releases/tag/v12.40.0

https://redd.it/1p6ikww
@r_php

PHP Symfony Consumers on K8s

How do you run PHP Symfony consumers as a long running process reliably on Kubernetes ?

I am facing a conundrum where the symfony consume message command will eventually produce an exit code 0. In most cases this is not an issue, but on K8s deployments, any exit code will just restart the pod, I know this topic kinda veers into k8s territory, but I was curious if anyone has a similar setup on a production environment and what their workaround was.

https://redd.it/1p6lzei
@r_php

I wonder why PHP doesn't have implicit $this?

I tried to search "implicit pointer this" or "implicit $this", etc. but it appears the word "this" is just too common and I was not able to find useful information to show if this question is a duplicate or not.

I'm wondering why PHP has $this and cannot be omitted.

For example:

class User
{
string $name;

public function setName(string $newName)
{
// Equivalent to: $this->name = $newName;
$name = $newName; "$this" is implicit, thus no need to write "$this->" every time.
}

public function setName2(string $name)
{
$name = $name // This still works but the arg $name hides the class member of same name.
$this->name = $name; // "$this->" is required to assign the value to class member.
}
}

Is "$$" or lack of type declaration for local variable the reason?

https://redd.it/1p6rd0x
@r_php

After 2.5 years without a major version, we just launched Backpack v7

Hey everyone,

Tabacitu here, founder of Backpack for Laravel. I know product launch posts can feel spammy, so I'll keep this focused on what actually matters to you as Laravel developers.

The honest backstory: We intentionally delayed v7 for more than a year. Why? Because we know upgrading sucks. Many times when we wanted to add something that required breaking changes, we found a backwards-compatible way instead. But some things... just couldn't be done without a new major version.

## What we actually built (the technical stuff)

The big idea behind v7 was making our components truly reusable. Pedro has spent >8 months refactoring so you can use datatables, forms, and datagrids anywhere—not just in CRUD operations. Custom dashboards, reports, modals, drawers, wherever.

Some highlights:

Reusable Components Everywhere
- Drop a <x-backpack::datatable> in any Blade view and it picks up your CrudController config
- Same with forms, show pages, and a new "datagrid" component
- Filters now work outside the List operation (custom pages, dashboards, reports)

Better DX
- Lifecycle hooks so you don't have to override entire operation methods anymore
- SaveAction classes instead of big arrays (way cleaner)
- Custom Views in List operation can now have their own filters
- Theme skins using only CSS variables (match your brand colors without touching core files)

Under the Hood
- Bumped all JS/CSS dependencies (Bootstrap, Tabler, DataTables, etc.)
- Fixed all the Uploader quirks (especially in repeatables)
- Made Basset way more reliable
- Moved TinyMCE & CKEditor to separate open-source addons


## The AI stuff (WIP)

We've already released an add-on in beta, that helps admins automatically translate their entities from one language to another. It's working GREAT on some of our client websites, wish we had more people trying it. Only available to our EVERYTHING buyers at the moment.

We're also working on an AI Agent Kit that helps LLMs build working CRUDs and features. It's not perfect, but it does work surprisingly well for scaffolding. Will be available to everyone when we're happy with it.

We have a few more AI-powered add-ons planned, so the admin can use AI in their admin panel. More on that in 2026.


## Should you upgrade?

Yes, 100%. It's not one of those cases where you should let early adopters upgrade first to shake out the edge cases. Backpack v7 has been in beta for 2 months, it's polished.

If you're running Backpack v6, you can still use it (of course) but know you're no longer getting any new features. Only security updates, if needed.

If you're running Backpack v5... come on, man, it's 2025.


## The shameless plug part

Yes, we're running a promo campaign today (gotta pay the team somehow). But honestly, 90% of what we've launched in v7 is in our free & open-source core - so I do think this post has its place here.

And tbh... I'm just proud of what we built and wanted to share it with the community that's supported us for 9+ years.

Full details:
- Launch page
- Release notes
- Upgrade guide

Happy to answer any questions.

— Tabacitu

P.S. I know many here are using Filament or prefer Tailwind-based solutions - that's totally cool, use what works for you. But if you're one of those developers who enjoys building with the simple, mature stack we prefer (Laravel + Bootstrap + JS), wanted to let you know we're still here, building for you. This post is so we share what's up in our world too. Say hello in the comments.

https://redd.it/1p718u8
@r_php

PHP devs, what's the most time-wasting task you still do manually?

Curious to hear real developer pain points, is it debugging, auth, APIs, or something else? Might help us build better solutions.

https://redd.it/1p72jxp
@r_php

Preparing for Symfony 7.4 and Symfony 8.0
https://symfony.com/blog/preparing-for-symfony-7-4-and-symfony-8-0?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Symfony%20Blog%20Feed

https://redd.it/1p72wfd
@r_php

Introducing the Jump app — Building mobile apps without the fuss
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fX-hAlFA1Wg

https://redd.it/1p74jpm
@r_php

Manual Service Resolution in Laravel | ollieread - PHP and Laravel expert
https://ollieread.com/articles/manual-service-resolution-in-laravel

https://redd.it/1p75glp
@r_php

What are the options for afirst-class headless mysql/pg backed CMS in PHP?

Is it that Drupal and Wordpress are good enough or am I missing out on some good products?

Edit: Sorry! I meant A FIRST CLASS PHP Headless CMS. Typo in my noscript.

https://redd.it/1p773j0
@r_php

Advanced Filament Authentication in 20 minutes
https://youtu.be/wkp4Hj3gjYo

https://redd.it/1p78kul
@r_php

Package FlowForge - Visual Drag-and-Drop Workflow Builder for Laravel 12 with Real-Time Execution Tracking

Just released FlowForge - a production-ready workflow automation package I've been building for Laravel 12.



Think Zapier/n8n, but native to Laravel with Livewire reactivity.



**Key Features:**



\- Visual drag-and-drop workflow designer (Livewire 4 + Alpine.js)

\- Conditional branching with 15+ comparison operators

\- Parallel execution - run multiple steps concurrently

\- Timeout orchestration with automatic termination

\- Real-time execution tracking with live monitoring

\- Full REST API for mobile apps and integrations

\- Role-based access control for workflow actions

\- Workflow templates - save, load, and reuse configurations



**7 Step Types:** Actions, conditions, delays, notifications, webhooks, custom noscripts, and more.



Seamless integration with Laravel events, jobs, and notifications.



`composer require alizharb/flowforge`



GitHub: https://github.com/AlizHarb/flowforge



Building internal tools or need workflow automation? I'd love to hear your use cases and feedback!

https://redd.it/1p7dndh
@r_php

Worst / most useless package on Packagist

Seen many people asking for best practices here, but that"s boring.

What is the most useless, package you've seen on Packagist?

Think of something like Leftpad, or a package that does one small thing while pulling in a thousand large packages.

https://redd.it/1p7obxn
@r_php

Package Flare - Production-Ready Toast Notifications for Laravel Livewire with Zero Config

After testing numerous toast libraries for Livewire, I decided to build exactly what I needed.



**Flare** is a modern, performant toast notification system specifically designed for Laravel Livewire applications.



**Why Flare?**



\- **Zero configuration required** - works out of the box

\- **3 Professional Themes:** Classic (minimal), Modern (balanced), Vibrant (bold)

\- **6 Position Options** - top/bottom × start/center/end

\- **RTL/LTR automatic adaptation**

\- **Responsive mobile behavior**



**Simple API:**

```php

Flare::success('Profile updated successfully!');



Flare::warning(

text: 'Session expires in 5 minutes',

heading: 'Warning',

duration: 10000,

position: 'top center'

);

```



**Requirements:** PHP 8.3+, Laravel 12+, Livewire 3.5+



`composer require alizharb/flare`



GitHub: https://github.com/AlizHarb/flare

Demo: https://alizharb.github.io/flare/



What's your go-to toast library for Livewire? Happy to discuss the design decisions!

https://redd.it/1p7r0kx
@r_php

Symfony 8.0.0 released
https://symfony.com/blog/symfony-8-0-0-released?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Symfony%20Blog%20Feed

https://redd.it/1p7zcpk
@r_php

[article] When controllers become orchestras (not the good kind)
https://sevalla.com/blog/laravel-controller-logic-with-flows/

https://redd.it/1p80zm9
@r_php

Symfony 8.0.0 released
https://symfony.com/blog/symfony-8-0-0-released?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Symfony%20Blog%20Feed

https://redd.it/1p82f4j
@r_php

Black Friday Deals for Filament & Laravel – 2025
https://denniskoch.dev/articles/2025-11-18-laravel-black-friday-deals-2025

https://redd.it/1p82dp3
@r_php

Deploy your Laravel Cloud apps directly from your terminal
https://youtu.be/xWtkWF3G5_8

https://redd.it/1p82sdr
@r_php