- What is codezero/laravel-stagefront used for?
- Stagefront is positioned as a simple staging and preview layer for Laravel apps, letting you review unpublished content and front-end changes before they go live. Technically, its core is a shared-password HTTP middleware gate for non-production routes. It is meant as an environment-level guardrail, not a replacement for production authentication, SSO, MFA, or RBAC.
- How do I install laravel-stagefront with Composer?
- Run composer require codezero/laravel-stagefront in your Laravel project. Then publish or configure the package settings and attach the middleware to the staging route group you want to protect. Pin the package version in composer.json and verify its Composer constraints against your Laravel and PHP versions before deploying.
- Which Laravel and PHP versions does laravel-stagefront support?
- The package is Laravel-native middleware, but you should check the composer.json constraints in the repository for the exact Laravel and PHP matrix. The technical assessment notes the last release was April 2024, so confirm your current project version is covered. Run a time-boxed spike in an isolated staging environment before wider rollout.
- How do I register the Stagefront middleware in Laravel 11 or 12?
- In Laravel 11 and later you typically register middleware in bootstrap/app.php rather than the older HTTP Kernel. Attach it to a bounded staging route group where possible instead of applying it globally. Check middleware ordering relative to session, cookie, and encryption middleware, and confirm the correct registration point in the package documentation.
- Where should I store the staging password for laravel-stagefront?
- Store the password as a managed environment secret, not in source control or a committed .env file. The technical review flags password handling and comparison as items to confirm, so check whether the package expects a plain config value or a hashed value. Also verify behavior with config:cache after changing the secret.
- Which routes does laravel-stagefront protect, and how do I exclude assets or health checks?
- Because Stagefront is middleware-based, it protects the routes or route groups you explicitly attach it to. Scope it to a clearly bounded staging route group and document exclusions for static assets, health checks, webhooks, and APIs. Avoid applying it to API-only routes unless you have explicitly tested that behavior.
- Is laravel-stagefront secure enough to protect sensitive staging data?
- It is a shared-password staging guardrail, not a production security control, and it does not replace SSO, MFA, RBAC, audit logging, or customer identity. The review recommends confirming rate limiting and brute-force resistance, session behavior, HTTPS enforcement, and whether lockout or audit logging exists at all. For sensitive staging data, pair it with a VPN or IP allowlist rather than relying on it alone.
- Does laravel-stagefront work with multiple app instances and config:cache?
- Because it is Laravel middleware and likely relies on sessions, verify it against your configured session driver and multi-instance setup. Test with config:cache enabled and production-like environment variables, since cached config can mask secret or config changes. The technical assessment explicitly flags session behavior across instances and config caching as compatibility checks.
- What are the alternatives to laravel-stagefront for staging protection?
- Reverse-proxy basic auth such as Nginx or Apache, or a VPN or IP allowlist, is often simpler and stronger for the same staging use case. Laravel's built-in auth scaffolding or HTTP basic auth middleware are options if you need more than a shared password. The assessment suggests keeping existing network controls in place even while evaluating Stagefront.
- Is codezero/laravel-stagefront actively maintained and safe to depend on?
- Adoption signals are low, with roughly 22 GitHub stars, zero dependents, and a last release in April 2024, which increases dependency and maintenance risk without making it inherently unsafe. Review the repository for a test suite, security disclosure process, and maintainer commitment before adopting. Keep the integration small so rollback is straightforward: remove the middleware and dependency or replace it with reverse-proxy basic auth.