A composable, versioned toolkit for Laravel projects
We join a fair number of projects, and we often help teams bring their project up to our standard. This means bringing a lot of the same small pieces from project to project.In the latest episode of the No Compromises podcast, we rethink our “project standard” repo. Instead of a full Laravel skeleton, we propose a composable library of tool-specific, versioned configs (PHPUnit, Docker, etc.). We walk through the benefits for greenfield and legacy work, open questions about test organization, and how this approach scales as tools evolve.(00:00) - Why we keep our tooling current
(00:15) - The “project standard” repo is aging
(01:30) - Reference guide vs installable skeleton
(02:30) - Supporting old and new stacks (versions, tags)
(03:30) - Pivot: organize by tool and version, not app
(04:30) - Example plan: folders for PHPUnit 11/12 (and beyond)
(05:15) - What belongs where? Tests, traits, and context
(10:00) - Docker-first thinking; where Horizon config lives
(11:15) - Open questions: PHPUnit vs Pest vs “testing” folder
(12:15) - Takeaway: evolve the repo as the tools evolve
(12:45) - Silly bit
Want help making your project as organized as one of our projects?
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Should you use DTOs in Laravel?
DTOs (Data Transfer Objects) aren't mentioned anywhere in the Laravel docs, but some devs use them heavily in their applications, whereas other devs never use them at all.In the latest episode of the No Compromises podcast, we weigh the pros and cons of DTOs in everyday Laravel apps, comparing them to form requests, PHPDoc-typed arrays, and service-layer boundaries, and share one area where DTOs truly shine. The takeaway: keep DTOs in the toolbox, but reach for them intentionally, not by habit.(00:00) - Framing DTOs in a stricter PHP world
(01:15) - Our current practice: hybrids, few true DTOs
(02:45) - Form requests, `safe()`, and typed inputs
(03:45) - Reuse across API and form layers rarely aligns
(04:30) - Where DTOs shine: normalizing multiple APIs
(05:45) - Service boundaries: wrapping vendor objects (e.g., Stripe)
(06:15) - PHPDoc-typed arrays vs DTO overhead
(06:45) - Conventions, Larastan levels, and avoiding ceremony
(07:45) - Treat DTOs as a tool, not a rule
(09:15) - Silly bit
Want to discuss how we can help you with an architecture review?
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Sunsetting a company app without loose ends
Business change and projects end, but how do you wrap up and sunset an app, especially one you've worked on for years?In the latest episode of the No Compromises podcast, we share a practical checklist for winding down an app when the whole company is closing. From documenting services and dependencies to deciding what data to retain, we cover backups, credentials, and why deleting local copies matters for security and sanity.(00:00) - Sunsetting a company vs project handoff
(02:15) - First goals: stop charges, purge data
(03:45) - Document before shutting anything off
(04:15) - Use README/PRODUCTION.md and password manager
(05:45) - Decide on retaining code, DB, uploads
(07:15) - Hunt secrets in .gitignore and dotfiles
(09:15) - Delete local containers and repos by default
(11:30) - Silly bit
Want peace of mind that your project is ready for whatever happens in the future. Schedule a call with us today.
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When building a UI makes more sense than bloating your seeders
What do you do when you need to create some data but you haven't built out the UI for that data yet? A seeder is a great approach, but is it always the right one? In the latest episode of the No Compromises podcast, we dive into a real project where starting with the most complex feature made test data management painful. Instead of exploding the complexity of our seeders, we built a minimal UI to manage test data. We also talk about some other unexpected benefits, and talk through the trade-offs and why detours like this should feel uncomfortable (and be tightly scoped).(00:00) - Starting deep exposes messy user permutations
(02:45) - Seeder explosion vs. a minimal UI
(03:45) - Reframing the “detour” after using it
(05:30) - Why the mini-UI helped: faster iteration, fewer seed resets
(07:45) - Dogfooding + tester debugging benefits
(08:00) - Guardrails: detours should feel uneasy and stay tight
(09:00) - Silly bit
Need help on your Laravel project? Hire two experts and accelerate your progress.
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Blade includes vs components: how we decide
Blade gives you two big levers for keeping views maintainable: @include and Blade components.When should you use one versus the other?Does it matter?In the latest episode of the No Compromises podcast, we lay out a clear heuristic for when to extract markup for organization (includes) versus when to encapsulate and reuse with controlled scope (components).We also touch on scope pitfalls, “passing for documentation,” and why performance worries usually lie elsewhere.Sign up for the free Mastering Laravel newsletter. The highest value-to-time ratio you will find.
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