Build Native Desktop Apps with PHP: Introducing NativePHP and Laravel Integration

Overview

NativePHP is a framework for building cross‑platform native desktop applications using PHP. It offers a set of easy‑to‑use classes, packaging tools, and a static cross‑platform PHP runtime.

Laravel Integration

By using Laravel as a wrapper for NativePHP, developers gain an efficient and powerful development experience, leveraging Laravel’s routing, database, and templating features directly in desktop apps.

Application Scenarios

The combination is suitable for various desktop applications such as internal management systems where employees can perform data entry, queries, and management locally, as well as small office utilities that benefit from PHP’s scripting and Laravel’s rapid development capabilities.

Using NativePHP in Laravel

To upgrade an existing Laravel project to NativePHP v1, update the composer.json dependency and run composer update:

"nativephp/electron": "^1.0",

Then install and serve the application:

composer require nativephp/electron
php artisan native:install
php artisan native:serve

If you have not tried NativePHP before, add the package via Composer, install it, and run the debug version. You should see your Laravel app appear in its own window, ready for further development.

Version Compatibility Note

Current NativePHP releases no longer support Laravel 10, PHP 8.1, or PHP 8.2, so ensure your application uses supported versions before upgrading.

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