- What is infinety-es/nova-menu-builder used for?
- Infinety-es/nova-menu-builder is a Laravel Nova tool for creating and managing navigation menus inside the Nova admin panel. It provides menu and menu-item management with drag-and-drop ordering plus custom and resource link types. It is not a framework-agnostic menu package, and frontend rendering of menus remains your application's responsibility.
- Is it compatible with Laravel Nova 4 or Nova 5?
- The package was last released on 2019-10-15, during the Nova 2.x era, so it should be treated as legacy. There is no indication that it supports Nova 4 or Nova 5, Laravel 10/11/12, or PHP 8.2+ without a fork or compatibility work. Check composer.json constraints and run a staging spike before committing.
- How do I install nova-menu-builder in a Laravel Nova app?
- Installation follows the usual Nova tool pattern: Composer require the package, register the tool in NovaServiceProvider, and publish migrations and assets as instructed by the package. You must also verify the version constraints match your Nova, Laravel, and PHP versions. Because the package is old, test installation on a branch or staging environment first.
- Does it render menus on the frontend or only manage them in Nova?
- Based on the available assessment, it provides Nova CRUD screens and persistence for menus and menu items, while frontend rendering is application-owned. It is not described as a headless CMS or a public navigation rendering API. You will likely need a helper or query layer in your Laravel app to output the stored menus.
- Does it support drag-and-drop ordering and custom or resource links?
- Yes, the package overview describes drag-and-drop ordering, custom links, resource links, and flexible menu item configuration. Those features are aimed at giving editors control over navigation without code changes. Confirm exact link types and ordering behavior against the source for your Nova version.
- Is the package maintained, tested, and safe for production?
- The package is effectively abandoned: the last release was 2019-10-15, it has 65 stars and 0 dependents, and there is no active upstream support. The available assessment does not report a test suite, and stale Vue 2/EOL frontend assets are a risk. Treat it as an accelerator or reference implementation, not a strategic production dependency, unless you fork it internally.
- What Laravel and PHP versions does it support?
- The published assessment does not list exact Laravel, PHP, or Nova version constraints, only that the 2019 release aligns with legacy Nova 2.x-era stacks. Modern Laravel 10/11/12, PHP 8.2+, and Nova 4/5 compatibility are doubtful without changes. Inspect composer.json and test the package in a staging spike before adopting it.
- Can I use it for nested menus, permissions, localization, or caching?
- The available context does not confirm nested menus, permissions, localization, or cache invalidation support. The overview only confirms menu management, drag-and-drop ordering, custom links, resource links, and flexible item configuration. If you need those capabilities, verify them in the code or plan to implement them yourself.
- What are the alternatives if I need a menu builder for modern Laravel Nova?
- If you are on modern Nova, a small in-house menu and menu-item CRUD module is often cheaper than sustaining an abandoned fork because the domain model is simple. You can keep the admin UI in Nova and implement rendering, permissions, and caching in your Laravel app. If the product does not use Nova, reject this package and choose a framework-agnostic menu solution.
- How do I fork or migrate it for a modern Laravel and Nova stack?
- For a modern stack, fork the package into an internal namespace, update Nova tool registration and the asset pipeline for Nova 4/5, and add PHP 8.2+ and Laravel 10/11/12 compatibility. Migrate or rebuild the Vue assets, add tests, and document the menu schema and rendering contract. Preserve existing menu and item tables, slugs, and URLs, and keep the old menu path until parity is proven.