- What is kirschbaum-development/bee-plugin-php-client used for?
- It is a thin, framework-agnostic PHP HTTP client for Bee's plugin API, the backend for the Beefree drag-and-drop email builder. Its purpose is to let you configure the editor and exchange design data with Bee from PHP or Laravel instead of hand-rolling Guzzle calls. It contains no domain logic, persistence, queues, or events, so in a Laravel app it occupies the same outbound-integration slot as the Http facade.
- Does this package support Laravel 9 and Laravel 10?
- That is not confirmed. The 0.3.1 release adds PHP 8 compatibility, which improves the odds it resolves alongside modern Laravel, but the composer.json has not been verified here and Guzzle constraints are unknown. Run composer why-not laravel/framework before committing, and check the PHP and Guzzle ranges in the package's own composer.json first.
- How do I install it with Composer?
- Install it with composer require kirschbaum-development/bee-plugin-php-client. Pin the 0.3.1 release rather than floating on dev, because a single release in roughly four years gives you no signal about future compatibility. After install, verify the resolved PHP and Guzzle versions and confirm whether the package ships a Laravel service provider or facade.
- Do I need to register a service provider or facade in Laravel?
- Assume you write the container binding yourself. The package is framework-agnostic, and its Laravel-facing surface, including whether a ServiceProvider or Facade ships at all, is not documented in a trustworthy way. A small first-party binding that constructs the client from config and credentials is a reasonable approach regardless of what the package provides.
- Is this package still actively maintained?
- The evidence points to low maintenance. Release 0.3.1, a PHP 8 compatibility patch, was the first sign of life since January 2022, and the project has about 3 stars, zero dependents, and no ecosystem Q&A or forks to lean on. One compatibility patch is a signal of life, not a revival, so treat it as dormant until you see a release cadence and documented maintainership.
- Which Guzzle version does it require?
- That is unverified, and it matters because the Guzzle constraint is one of the main things that can block installation alongside a current Laravel application. Inspect the require block in the package's composer.json and confirm what Composer actually resolves in your project. If the constraint conflicts with your existing Guzzle version, do not force it without understanding what else depends on it.
- Can I just use Laravel's Http facade instead of this package?
- Yes, and that is often the better path. Laravel already ships Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http, which wraps Guzzle and adds retries, timeouts, middleware, and fake() for testing, so a small first-party client can cover the same endpoints minus the abandonment risk. Read this package as a reference spec for the request shapes, then reimplement only the calls you actually need.
- How should I test code that calls the Bee plugin API?
- There are no readable contract tests in the package to lean on, so put the boundary under your own control. Wrap the integration behind your own interface with your own DTOs and fake that in application tests; if you talk to Guzzle directly, use its mock handler, or use Http::fake() if you reimplement with the Laravel client. Also assume API failures will be runtime and silent rather than compile-time, so write explicit tests for error and timeout paths.
- Does it work on PHP 8?
- Release 0.3.1 is described as a PHP 8 compatibility patch, which removes that specific blocker. Confirm the exact PHP constraint in composer.json and check your installed PHP version with composer why-not php. If you support multiple PHP or Laravel versions, verify each combination rather than assuming the patch covers them all.
- What should I use if this package is abandoned or unsupported?
- Prefer a first-party adapter: implement the few Bee endpoints you need behind a BeeClient interface with your own DTOs, which is days of work and near-zero long-term risk. If you need exact wire compatibility right now, copy or VCS-include the source in-tree under your own CI and patch policy, which the MIT license and small surface area make easy. A direct Composer dependency is defensible mainly for a short-lived spike or throwaway internal tool.