- Is nativekitv4 a Composer package I can require into an existing Laravel app, or is it a starter kit?
- It is an opinionated starter kit, not a runtime library. Its value is the file layout it generates, including User and Admin models, Filament resources, authentication scaffolding and frontend tooling, so requiring it as a dependency inside an existing application adds very little. Teams that want a package they can composer require and configure should look elsewhere, while greenfield projects can scaffold from it via create-project or a template clone.
- Which Laravel and Filament versions does NativeKit v4 support?
- NativeKit v4 targets Laravel 13.x with Filament 4.x and NativePHP for native desktop builds, and the 4.14.0 release aligns with Filament 4.14.0. Because it is a scaffold rather than a library, the real constraints live in its composer.json, so check whether Filament is pinned to an exact version or allowed to float on a caret constraint. Pinning reduces future breakage but can block upstream security patches.
- How do I install NativeKit v4 for a new project?
- Treat it as a template: create a fresh project with composer create-project against the repository or clone the template, then copy the environment file, generate the application key, run migrations and install frontend dependencies with pnpm. There is no supported composer require flow for dropping it into an existing app. Plan to re-run this scaffold whenever you adopt a new structural release.
- What changed in NativeKit v4 4.14.0 and is it safe to upgrade from 4.13.4?
- Most of 4.14.0 is dependency and CI maintenance: consolidated Dependabot updates, PHPStan running on PHP 8.4, pnpm workspace overrides, and patched transitive npm packages such as shell-quote and source-map-js. The one behavioral change is PR #95, which moves user and admin models, Filament resources and login flows into separate packages. Because that is a structural change inside a minor bump, treat 4.14.0 as a re-baseline rather than a patch and do not blind-merge it into a customized 4.13.4 fork.
- What is the user/admin package split in 4.14.0 and do I need to migrate anything?
- The split relocates the User and Admin models, their Filament resources and the login flows into dedicated user and admin packages, which changes namespaces and file paths. Any fork that merges this needs updated imports, class references and migrations, and can hit duplicate or relocated classes. The release does not ship explicit upgrade notes, so the practical path is generating a clean 4.14.0 tree and re-applying your customizations.
- Can NativeKit v4 build real desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux?
- Yes, desktop delivery is the point: the kit is built on NativePHP and targets Windows, macOS and Linux, packaged as native desktop applications rather than served web apps. Actual compilation, code signing and distribution still run through NativePHP's own tooling and platform requirements. Verify those platform steps against the NativePHP documentation for the version your composer lock file resolves.
- Do I have to use pnpm, or can I use npm or Yarn with this starter kit?
- The frontend build is opinionated and expects pnpm, including a pnpm workspace configuration with dependency overrides. Teams standardized on npm or Yarn will need to adapt the workspace setup, and the patched overrides for shell-quote and source-map-js only take effect under pnpm. Switching package managers also means regenerating the lockfile and re-auditing transitive dependencies yourself.
- What does NativeKit v4 include out of the box?
- A working baseline includes User and Admin models, a Filament 4 admin panel with resources, authentication and login scaffolding, and a Tailwind and Livewire frontend build. The appeal is skipping boilerplate so a team has an admin-panel-first Laravel application running on day one. Anything beyond that baseline is application-specific code you own and must re-apply after re-scaffolding.
- Is NativeKit v4 production ready and how is it maintained?
- Positive signals are real: PHPStan static analysis runs on PHP 8.4, vulnerable transitive npm packages are patched through pnpm overrides rather than ignored, and CI workflows are being standardized. The risks are concentration and cadence, since all non-bot work in the 4.14.0 line comes from a single maintainer and releases are largely Dependabot-driven. There is no stated support window or backport policy, so assume main is the only supported branch and budget time for upgrades.
- What are the alternatives to NativeKit v4 for building a Laravel desktop app?
- You can pair Laravel with NativePHP directly and add your own admin layer, or start from Laravel Breeze or Jetstream and install a Filament v4 panel manually. Filament-focused starter kits are another route if you mainly want the admin panel and can add NativePHP later. None of these are drop-in equivalents, so compare them on how much scaffolding you actually need versus how much structural change you can absorb.