- What is jenssegers/lean?
- Lean is a lightweight CMS package for Laravel by Jens Segers that provides a minimal content-management foundation, mainly pages and structured content. It is built around Laravel conventions and Eloquent models rather than a full CMS platform, so the codebase stays small, readable, and easy to customize. It is intended for developers who want simple page content management without pulling in a heavy CMS.
- How do I install jenssegers/lean in a Laravel application?
- Install it with Composer using composer require jenssegers/lean. If your Laravel version does not auto-discover the service provider, register it in config/app.php. Publish any config, view, or migration files the package ships, then run php artisan migrate if migrations are included. Check the repository README and composer.json for exact setup steps, since documentation beyond the basics is minimal.
- Which Laravel versions does jenssegers/lean support?
- The package does not publish a clear, current compatibility matrix, and its last release was in January 2019, so it most likely targets older Laravel versions. Before adopting it, read the composer.json constraints for illuminate/support and laravel/framework to confirm what it was built against. If you are on a recent Laravel release, plan to test thoroughly or fork and update the constraints yourself.
- Does Lean work with PHP 8 and modern Laravel versions like Laravel 10 or 11?
- There is no evidence of anyone running Lean against modern PHP or Laravel, and the code predates PHP 8 features such as promoted constructor parameters and union types. That does not guarantee it will fail, but it means compatibility is unverified and Composer may block installation on newer framework constraints. Treat PHP 8 and Laravel 10+ support as something you would need to validate, and likely patch, yourself.
- Is jenssegers/lean a CMS or a container auto-wiring package?
- The package is presented as a lightweight CMS for Laravel with pages and Eloquent-backed content. Some release notes and repository metadata reference Slim 3 and league/container auto-wiring, which suggests overlapping or leftover artifacts, so confirm the actual purpose by reading composer.json in your vendor directory after installation. For a Laravel project, the CMS description is the relevant one, and it does not require container auto-wiring because Laravel's container already resolves constructor type hints.
- How does Lean store pages and content?
- Lean uses Eloquent-backed models, so pages and structured content are stored in database tables and accessed through Laravel's ORM. That means you can query, relate, and extend content using normal Eloquent patterns rather than a proprietary data layer. The models are part of the package's small, readable codebase, so inspecting them is the fastest way to understand the schema.
- Is jenssegers/lean still maintained?
- There has been no release since 2019-01-14, and the package has very low adoption with no downstream dependents and no visible maintainer activity or CI data. For practical purposes, treat it as unmaintained and expect to own any fixes, dependency updates, or security patches yourself. If you adopt it, name a specific person responsible for that upgrade cadence.
- Is Lean safe to use in production?
- Lean has a small surface area and no known security issues in the provided context, but it is unmaintained and untested against modern PHP and Laravel combinations. That makes it a reasonable fit only for low-risk, well-scoped content pages where you can pin versions, monitor it, and fork if it stalls. Avoid putting it on a critical path where an unpatched dependency could block upgrades or break controllers.
- How do I customize or extend Lean?
- Because Lean is built on Laravel conventions, you extend it the same way you extend any Laravel package: subclass or override its Eloquent models, publish and edit its views, and override routes or controllers as needed. The codebase is intentionally minimal, so reading the source is usually faster than waiting for documentation. Keep your customizations in your application rather than editing vendor files so upgrades, if any, remain possible.
- What are good alternatives to Lean for a lightweight Laravel CMS?
- If you only need simple pages, a couple of Eloquent models and Blade views often replace the package entirely with zero new dependencies. For a lighter read path, Laravel's own query builder, such as DB::table('pages')->get(), returns plain arrays without model hydration. If you need a real CMS with active maintenance, evaluate options like Statamic or October CMS, or build a small custom admin around Laravel's own authentication and policies.