Laravel 9 Preset Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Identify the package type before anything else. Open the repo's composer.json and check "type". If it's project, this is a starter template (scaffold with composer create-project). If it's library, it's an installable package you require into an existing app. The name "preset" is ambiguous here — verify against the README rather than assuming.
2. Most likely usage (template style):

   composer create-project pacificdev/laravel_9_preset my-app
   cd my-app
   cp .env.example .env && php artisan key:generate
   npm install && npm run dev
   php artisan migrate
   php artisan serve
   

3. Where to look first: package.json (Bootstrap version + Vite vs Mix), vite.config.js, resources/sass/app.scss, resources/views/layouts/, and routes/web.php. Those four files tell you 90% of what the preset actually wires up.
4. First use case: greenfield Laravel 9 project where you want Bootstrap 5 and pre-styled auth views without hand-running laravel/ui or manually authoring layout Blade files.

Implementation Patterns

• Scaffold-and-cherry-pick. The most reliable pattern with a low-maintenance preset is to generate one reference app, then diff .env.example, vite.config.js, resources/sass/app.scss, resources/js/app.js, and resources/views/layouts/app.blade.php into your real codebase. This avoids create-project clobbering existing work.
• Layout inheritance. Use the generated layouts/app.blade.php as the parent and extend it: @extends('layouts.app'), @section('content'). Don't duplicate the navbar/footer per page.
• Vite + Bootstrap CSS. Import Bootstrap SCSS in resources/sass/app.scss and JS in resources/js/app.js; load with @vite(['resources/sass/app.scss', 'resources/js/app.js']) in the layout <head>. This is the Laravel 9 idiomatic path and matches what a modern preset should ship.
• Auth views as a starting point, not a finish line. The register/login/password-reset Blade files are Bootstrap-templated — extend and restyle rather than rebuilding from scratch. Add @error blocks consistently where the preset omits them.
• Pin a baseline commit. Because the package is stale, fork or vendor it, and commit the scaffolding into your repo as the first commit. If you ever need to re-scaffold, you can diff against that baseline instead of guessing.
• For existing apps: only composer require pacificdev/laravel_9_preset if it exposes a service provider with publishable assets (php artisan vendor:publish --tag=...). Otherwise, treat it strictly as a create-project template.

Gotchas and Tips

• Laravel 9 removed the classic php artisan preset command. If you expect php artisan preset bootstrap to work, it won't — that pipeline was retired after Laravel 8. This package is either a create-project template or a custom command; read the README before assuming the classic preset workflow.
• Staleness is the biggest risk. Last release 2023-03-06, 8 stars, 0 dependents. Assume no upstream fixes for Laravel 10/11. If you need to upgrade, fork and bump laravel/framework yourself.
• Vite vs Mix mismatch. Verify the package isn't still shipping webpack.mix.js / laravel-mix. A Laravel 9 preset should use Vite, but a 2023-vintage one may not. Decide early; migrating toolchains later is painful.
• Bootstrap 4 vs 5. Check package.json. Bootstrap 4 → 5 changes class names (.ml-* → .ms-*, .form-group removal) and the JS API. Budget a day if you're upgrading.
• Node 20+ build failures. Dependencies pinned in 2023 often fail to install on modern Node. Try npm install --legacy-peer-deps, or bump vite/sass in devDependencies before fighting it.
• composer create-project overwrites. It only works into an empty directory. Never point it at an existing app.
• Deploy debugging checklist: npm run build (not just dev) before deploying — "Vite manifest not found" is the most common first-deploy error. Then php artisan config:clear && php artisan optimize.
• Consider Breeze instead. For 2FA, email verification, teams, or password confirmation flows, laravel/breeze (Bootstrap or Tailwind stack) is the maintained baseline. Borrow this package's Blade views only if you specifically need hand-rolled Bootstrap auth without Breeze's dependency graph.
• Extension points to check: PresetServiceProvider in src/, any php artisan commands it registers, and publishable asset tags. If none of those exist, it's a pure template — treat it as copy-paste, not a dependency.