- How do I install fsasvari/laravel-trailing-slash in a Laravel app?
- Install it with Composer using composer require fsasvari/laravel-trailing-slash. Laravel package discovery will typically register the service provider automatically, but confirm this in the README for your Laravel version. If the package provides a publishable configuration file, publish it and then register the middleware globally or in the appropriate route group.
- Which Laravel and PHP versions does this package support?
- The provided overview does not list exact Laravel or PHP version constraints, so verify them on Packagist and in the package composer.json before adopting it. Check compatibility against your application's Laravel and PHP versions, especially before a major framework upgrade. Treat the version constraint as part of your dependency review and pin it in production.
- Can I choose whether to add or remove trailing slashes?
- The package is described as supporting adding, removing, or enforcing trailing slashes, so redirect direction appears configurable through its middleware or helpers. Confirm the exact configuration options and defaults in the README before rollout. Whichever direction you choose should match your canonical tags, sitemap, internal links, and any edge or web-server redirects.
- What HTTP status code does the trailing-slash redirect use, and can I change it?
- The overview does not specify the redirect status code or whether it is configurable, so test this in staging before production. For permanent URL canonicalization, a 301 is commonly preferred, but use what matches your SEO and caching policy. Confirm the emitted status code with curl or browser developer tools on representative routes.
- Does it preserve query strings during trailing-slash redirects?
- Query-string preservation is not confirmed in the provided overview, so validate it explicitly with URLs containing tracking parameters, pagination, or filters. Losing query strings can break analytics, search parameters, and user flows. Test representative GET requests in staging and confirm the Location header retains the expected query string.
- How do I exclude API routes, admin panels, health checks, or webhooks from trailing-slash redirects?
- Scope the middleware as narrowly as possible while still covering the URLs you need to normalize, and check whether the package supports path exclusion rules. API routes, admin panels, health checks, and webhooks are common exclusions because redirects can break clients or monitoring. If exclusion configuration is unavailable, avoid registering the middleware on those route groups. Validate excluded paths return their original responses without redirects.
- Should the middleware be global or assigned to the web route group?
- Global middleware is generally required to normalize URLs before route matching, because web-group middleware may run too late for routes that differ only by a trailing slash. However, global scope increases the risk of affecting APIs, webhooks, and non-GET requests unless you exclude them. Use the narrowest scope that still reliably covers the routes you need, and test route matching carefully.
- Will it affect POST requests, APIs, webhooks, or signed URLs?
- The overview does not confirm method restrictions or signed-URL behavior, so treat this as a key validation item. Redirecting non-GET requests can break API clients and webhooks, and changing a signed URL path can invalidate the signature. Exclude API, webhook, and signed-URL routes unless you have verified the package behaves correctly for them. Test GET, HEAD, POST, and signed URLs in staging before production.
- Is this package a replacement for nginx, Apache, or CDN trailing-slash rules?
- It is best treated as a Laravel application-level fallback, not a replacement for edge or web-server canonicalization. CDN or nginx/Apache rules usually provide lower latency and broader coverage across non-Laravel services and static assets. Use this package when trailing-slash policy cannot be enforced reliably at the edge or web server, and avoid duplicating conflicting redirect rules.
- How maintained and production-ready is laravel-trailing-slash?
- It is a small, single-purpose, community-supported package with low adoption, so maintenance risk is mainly bus factor and limited edge-case coverage rather than code complexity. Pin the version, assign an internal owner, monitor upstream releases, and review test coverage and recent activity before adoption. Roll out in staging with checks for redirect direction, status code, query strings, exclusions, and non-GET methods, and keep rollback simple by removing the middleware registration.