Getting Started

Install with Composer (composer require <vendor>/<package>). In Laravel, the service provider is auto-discovered; if you disable discovery, add it to config/app.php (or bootstrap/providers.php on Laravel 11+).
Publish any config or assets if the package exposes them: php artisan vendor:publish --provider="<Vendor>\<Package>\<Package>ServiceProvider".
First use case: run the package’s primary Artisan command to confirm wiring, then open the service provider (src/Providers/*ServiceProvider.php) to see bindings, singletons, and registered commands.
New in v2.0.2: the service provider can now be used inside a standalone Symfony Console application. If you are integrating outside Laravel, start by reading the provider’s register() and boot() methods to see which Laravel contracts and helpers it expects, then bootstrap a compatible container before registering the provider and adding the package commands to your Symfony Application.

Implementation Patterns

Standard Laravel usage: rely on auto-discovery, inject package services through the container, and call package commands from your own code with $this->call() or Artisan::call(). Schedule them with Schedule::command().
Composition over duplication: wrap package commands in your own command classes when you need pre-flight checks, logging, or tenant-specific arguments; keep the package command as the single implementation.
Configuration-driven behaviour: publish the config file, override values through env vars, and bind interfaces in your own provider after the package provider if you need to swap implementations.
Standalone Symfony Console (2.0.2+): create a small bootstrap that instantiates a container satisfying the Laravel contracts the provider uses, calls register() and boot(), then registers the package’s commands on Symfony\Component\Console\Application. This is useful for CI scripts, non-Laravel services, and CLI tools that want the package’s behaviour without a full Laravel app.
Testing: in Laravel use $this->artisan(); in standalone Symfony use CommandTester against the configured Application. Test both the happy path and the provider boot path, since the latter is what changed in 2.0.2.
Extension points: decorate bindings, extend command classes, and listen for package events rather than forking the package. Check the provider for tagged bindings or config-driven command registration before overriding.

The 2.0.2 change makes the service provider compatible with Symfony Console; it does not add automatic command discovery outside Laravel. You still need to register commands manually on the Symfony Application.
The provider may type-hint Illuminate\Contracts\Foundation\Application or use app()/config() helpers. In a standalone Symfony app, bind those contracts or use an Illuminate\Container\Container instance; otherwise boot() will fail even though registration succeeds.
Don’t assume provider boot order outside Laravel. Check for deferred providers and provides(); call boot() explicitly after all bindings are in place.
Auto-discovery only works in Laravel. In Symfony Console, manual registration is required, and config caching is not available — environment handling may differ from your Laravel setup.
Version constraints matter: 2.0.2 is a patch release, so update from 2.0.0/2.0.1 freely. If you are on 1.x, review the 2.0 upgrade notes before jumping, as the major version may include breaking changes.
Debug with -vvv and inspect the registered provider list (php artisan about --only=providers in Laravel). In standalone Symfony, enable verbose error output and verify the container has the bindings the provider expects.
Watch for global helper usage inside the provider — it is the most common cause of failures when reusing the provider outside a full Laravel application.