- What is juststeveking/ollama-php used for?
- It is a lightweight PHP client for Ollama that lets Laravel or standalone PHP applications send prompts, run chat conversations, and work with locally hosted models. It provides a fluent, typed API over Ollama's HTTP API and supports features such as model discovery and streaming. It is framework-agnostic but designed to be Laravel-friendly.
- How do I install juststeveking/ollama-php in a Laravel app?
- Install it with Composer using composer require juststeveking/ollama-php. Because it is framework-agnostic and Laravel-friendly, wire it into a service provider or resolve it through the container behind your own LlmClient interface. Keep direct SDK calls out of controllers and jobs so you can swap providers later.
- Does juststeveking/ollama-php require an API key or cloud service?
- No, it targets Ollama, which runs models locally or on your own infrastructure, so it does not rely on external cloud AI services by default. You still need a reachable Ollama endpoint and the required models pre-pulled on the host. Network access from your app containers or workers to that endpoint is a deployment dependency.
- Which Laravel versions are supported by juststeveking/ollama-php?
- The package is described as Laravel-friendly and PSR-compatible, but the provided context does not list a specific Laravel version matrix. Check the repository's composer.json and CI configuration before committing to a version. For a low-risk integration, verify it in a same-day spike on your target Laravel release.
- Does juststeveking/ollama-php support streaming responses?
- Yes, streaming support for real-time output is listed as a feature. The context does not specify whether streaming is surfaced through callbacks, iterators, or PSR-7 streams, so confirm the exact ergonomics before designing a responsive UI. If the abstraction is too thin, budget your own streaming wrapper.
- Can juststeveking/ollama-php list local Ollama models?
- Yes, local model discovery and listing are part of the package's stated feature set. This is useful for checking which models are available on the Ollama host before sending requests. In production, treat model availability as an operational prerequisite and verify it during health checks.
- Does juststeveking/ollama-php support chat, text generation, and embeddings?
- The overview highlights text generation, chat conversations, model listing, and streaming, while the broader blurb also mentions embeddings and model management. Feature coverage can vary by Ollama version, so verify chat, generate, embeddings, structured output, and tool calling against your target Ollama release. Do not assume a capability just because the wrapper mentions it.
- Is juststeveking/ollama-php suitable for production Laravel applications?
- It can be suitable for internal tooling, back-office automation, summarization, and prototypes where data must stay on-network. For high-QPS or latency-critical customer-facing paths, load-test the Ollama inference server itself, because GPU and memory constraints are the real risk. Also add retries, backoff, tracing, and generous HTTP timeouts in your own adapter.
- How should I handle timeouts when generating text with Ollama in Laravel?
- Ollama generation can take tens of seconds, so tune HTTP timeouts well above typical Laravel framework defaults. Put timeout, retry, and backoff logic in your own adapter or injected HTTP client rather than scattering it across controllers. Feature-flag the integration and monitor slow requests before exposing it to users.
- Is juststeveking/ollama-php actively maintained and safe to depend on?
- The evaluation notes a small project with roughly 28 stars, zero dependents, one effective maintainer, and no visible support or security-response process. Treat it as a convenience wrapper you could reimplement in about 200 lines, not a strategic dependency. Mitigate by vendoring the source or wrapping it behind an internal interface and reviewing upgrades quarterly.