- What is NativeKit and what does it do?
- NativeKit is a Laravel starter kit built on Laravel 13.x, Filament 3.x, and NativePHP. It gives you a ready-made scaffold for building native desktop applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux using PHP and Laravel. It includes reusable native-focused components and helpers intended to reduce boilerplate and keep application code cleaner and more consistent.
- How do I install NativeKit?
- Install the package with Composer using the jeffersongoncalves/nativekit package, typically as a new project or starter scaffold. After installation, run the standard Laravel setup steps such as copying the environment file, generating the application key, and running migrations. Confirm that your PHP version and NativePHP build prerequisites are satisfied before attempting a native desktop build.
- Does NativeKit support Laravel 13?
- Yes, NativeKit is built on Laravel 13.x according to the package overview. You should still check the composer.json constraints in the exact release you install to confirm the Laravel, Filament, and PHP version intersections. If you are on an older Laravel release, expect the starter kit not to install cleanly without adjustments.
- Which operating systems can I target with NativeKit?
- NativeKit targets native desktop applications on Windows, macOS, and Linux through NativePHP. Each platform has its own build and packaging requirements, so you should test compilation and distribution on the operating systems you plan to support. Cross-platform builds may require platform-specific CI runners or build machines.
- Do I need to install NativePHP separately to use NativeKit?
- NativeKit is built on NativePHP, so NativePHP is expected to be part of the dependency graph rather than something you add from scratch. You should verify the NativePHP version constraint in the package composer.json and ensure your local environment meets its requirements. If you are adding NativeKit to an existing Laravel app, check for conflicts with any NativePHP version you already use.
- Is NativeKit a Filament admin panel or a desktop app starter?
- It is both in practice: it provides a Filament 3 admin panel experience packaged inside a NativePHP desktop application shell. The overview also mentions user and admin packages for models, resources, and login, which suggests the authentication and Filament resource surfaces may live in separate sibling packages. Review the installed package structure to understand where the User model, resources, and login flow actually reside in your version.
- Can I use NativeKit in an existing Laravel application instead of a new project?
- NativeKit is primarily a starter kit or application scaffold, so it is lowest-risk for greenfield projects. Pulling it into an existing Laravel app is possible in principle, but you should expect namespace, configuration, and Filament resource conflicts. Inventory any existing User model, login page, and Filament resource overrides before integrating.
- How should I upgrade NativeKit safely?
- Pin to a known-good version and upgrade in a dedicated branch behind your full test suite rather than as part of a general lockfile refresh. Run composer why guzzlehttp/guzzle and composer why filament/filament to enumerate constraints across your dependency graph before changing versions. Diff published config, app/Models, and Filament resource paths between releases, and re-apply any local customizations against the new package-provided versions.
- What are the production concerns when shipping a NativeKit desktop app?
- Production concerns include native binary packaging, code signing, notarization on macOS, installer creation, and an update distribution strategy for Windows, macOS, and Linux. You should also audit dependency pinning, especially major-version runtime bumps such as Guzzle, because a starter kit upgrade can silently change transitive constraints. Verify that the package's Filament constraint uses a caret range if you need to run a different Filament patch level.
- What alternatives exist to NativeKit for Laravel desktop apps?
- Alternatives include using NativePHP directly with a standard Laravel application, combining the official Laravel starter kits with Filament and NativePHP manually, or using Electron or Tauri with a Laravel API backend. NativeKit mainly saves setup time by pre-integrating Laravel, Filament, and NativePHP with reusable native-focused helpers. Evaluate alternatives if you need a different admin panel stack or tighter control over the desktop packaging pipeline.