- What is Cartalyst Cart and what does it do?
- Cartalyst Cart is a shopping cart package for Laravel applications. It provides multiple cart instances, item quantities and attributes, conditions, taxes, fees, and storage drivers. It is intended to give developers a clean API for building e-commerce checkout flows.
- How do I install Cartalyst Cart in a Laravel application?
- Install the package with Composer using composer require cartalyst/cart. Then follow the package README for any configuration publishing, migration, or service provider steps. Laravel package auto-discovery may handle provider registration, but confirm the exact setup for your package version.
- Does Cartalyst Cart support Laravel 12?
- Yes. The v9.0.0 release explicitly adds Laravel 12 support. That aligns the package with the current Laravel release line, but you should still verify the full Composer constraints before upgrading an existing application.
- What PHP and Laravel versions does Cartalyst Cart v9 require?
- Laravel 12 requires PHP 8.2 or newer, and Cartalyst Cart v9.0.0 is the release line that adds Laravel 12 support. The release note does not list the complete PHP and illuminate/* constraints, so check composer.json in v9.0.0. If you are on Laravel 11 or older, confirm whether v9 still supports your version or remain on v8.x.
- Can I create multiple cart instances with Cartalyst Cart?
- Yes. Cartalyst Cart is designed around multiple cart instances, so you can keep separate carts for different users, sessions, or business purposes. Use the package instance API to create and retrieve carts instead of assuming a single global cart.
- How do conditions work in Cartalyst Cart?
- Conditions are adjustments applied to a cart, such as taxes, fees, discounts, or other business rules. They let you modify cart totals without hard-coding those rules directly into your checkout flow. Check the package documentation for the exact condition interface and how to register custom conditions.
- Does Cartalyst Cart support taxes, fees, and item attributes?
- Yes. The package overview includes item attributes, conditions, taxes, and fees. Conditions are typically how taxes and fees are applied to cart totals, while item attributes store extra product data on cart items. Review the package API documentation for how attributes are persisted and retrieved.
- What storage drivers are available in Cartalyst Cart?
- Cartalyst Cart includes storage drivers for persisting cart data. The package overview mentions storage drivers but does not enumerate them, so check the README or configuration files for the supported options. You can choose a driver based on your session, database, or cache setup.
- How do I upgrade Cartalyst Cart from v8 to v9?
- Treat v9.0.0 as a major-version upgrade, not a patch. The release note only states that it adds Laravel 12 support, so review the changelog and any upgrade guide before changing your Composer constraints. Test on a non-production branch, run your application and package integration tests, and keep the latest v8.x release available for rollback.
- Is Cartalyst Cart actively maintained and suitable for production?
- Laravel 12 support in v9.0.0 indicates active maintenance, but the one-line major release note limits confidence in the upgrade path. Confirm the maintainers' support policy, changelog, and test coverage before relying on it in production. Pin versions in composer.lock and stage upgrades carefully.