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Padlock Laravel Package
fidum/padlock
Fidum Padlock is a Laravel package that adds simple password protection to your app or selected routes. Configure a password, apply the middleware, and keep staging sites, admin areas, or private pages locked behind a lightweight session-based lock.
A Laravel Zero Command for encrypting and decrypting environment files.
Frequently asked questions about Padlock
- How do I install and configure fidum/padlock in a Laravel application?
- Install it with composer require fidum/padlock, then publish the package config so you can set the lock password. Apply the Padlock middleware to the routes or route groups you want to protect and clear your config cache. It is framework-native, so there is no sidecar service or external datastore to stand up.
- Which Laravel versions does fidum/padlock 4.0 support?
- Padlock 4.0.0 targets Laravel and Laravel Zero 12.x and explicitly drops Laravel 11.x support, so the effective illuminate constraint is ^12.0. Each Padlock major has historically tracked a Laravel major, so expect a 5.0 release alongside Laravel 13 and budget for that bump. Confirm the exact PHP floor and constraint set in composer.json rather than assuming.
- How do I password protect specific routes with Padlock middleware?
- Set a password in the package configuration and apply the Padlock middleware to individual routes, a route group, or the whole application. Visitors then hit a session-based lock prompt instead of reaching the protected pages. It is designed for staging sites, admin areas, and private pages rather than full user accounts.
- Can I use fidum/padlock 4.0 on Laravel 11?
- No. Padlock 4.0.0 requires Laravel 12, and Composer will fail to resolve the dependency graph rather than throwing a runtime error. Applications still on Laravel 11 need to stay on the 3.x line until the host app is upgraded.
- How do I upgrade fidum/padlock from 3.x to 4.0.0?
- First confirm the host application is already on Laravel 12, since the upgrade is blocked otherwise. Then bump the constraint to ^4.0 and run composer update fidum/padlock --with-dependencies to keep unrelated transitive drift out of the change. Clear config and application caches afterwards, re-publish the vendor config only if it has drifted, and roll back by reverting the lockfile if anything fails.
- Is Padlock a replacement for Laravel authentication like Breeze or Jetstream?
- No. Padlock is a lightweight, session-based shared-password lock, not a user authentication system with accounts, roles, or registration. If you need real user management, use Laravel's own auth scaffolding such as Breeze, Jetstream, or Fortify. Padlock fits the narrower job of hiding a staging site or a small admin area behind one password.
- Can Padlock encrypt and decrypt .env files from the command line?
- The package ships an accompanying Laravel Zero CLI component described as a command for encrypting and decrypting environment files. Whether that CLI is a runtime dependency of the library or a separate global tool depends on the constraints in composer.json, so check there before planning a deploy. If you install it as a global Composer binary, treat it as its own upgrade track.
- Is fidum/padlock actively maintained, and how often does it release majors?
- Release activity is concentrated in a single maintainer, so framework-support releases may lag Laravel's own release by a few weeks. Commit volume is low, which is normal for a small package but means a bus-factor risk worth noting. Pin your version constraint and test upgrades rather than assuming day-one support for a new Laravel major.
- Is Padlock safe to use in production?
- Padlock is a thin wrapper over Laravel's session and middleware stack and stores nothing in an external service, so the operational surface is small. The main caution is that it is a shared-password gate rather than an audited authentication system, so avoid relying on it alone for sensitive production data. Smoke-test the lock end to end in staging before enabling it on a live site.
- What are good alternatives to fidum/padlock for locking down a staging site?
- If you need real user accounts, Laravel's own scaffolding such as Breeze, Jetstream, or Fortify is the right choice. For simple staging protection, a static HTTP basic auth middleware or web-server-level password (htpasswd, nginx auth_basic) works without adding a package. Padlock sits in the middle: framework-native, session-based, and quick to apply to selected routes.
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