- What is Laravel Glimpse used for?
- Laravel Glimpse is a privacy-first, server-side analytics package for Laravel 12+ that gives developers quick, at-a-glance insight into application page views. It uses a lightweight first-party database table rather than an external analytics service. It is best suited to teams that want simple in-app reporting without leaving the Laravel workflow.
- How do I install Laravel Glimpse in a Laravel application?
- Install the package with Composer using pascalkleindienst/laravel-glimpse, then publish its configuration and migrations. Run php artisan migrate to create the page-view table, and verify scheduled command registration with php artisan schedule:list. The v0.5.1 patch improves scheduler autoregistration, reducing manual wiring for new installs.
- Which Laravel and PHP versions does Laravel Glimpse support?
- The package description states support for Laravel 12 and newer. The exact PHP version constraints are not specified in the available release notes, so check the package composer.json and README before installing. Because the package is pre-1.0, confirm constraints when upgrading.
- What data does Laravel Glimpse capture by default, and does it store PII?
- Laravel Glimpse is positioned as privacy-first and server-side, but the available notes do not list the exact default fields. Review the published configuration and migration before production use to confirm whether IP addresses, user agents, or other identifiers are stored. If you need strict data-residency or PII controls, validate the schema first.
- Is Laravel Glimpse safe to use in production?
- Laravel Glimpse is still pre-1.0 at v0.5.x, so public APIs, schema, and configuration may change. The v0.5.1 release is a patch focused on framework integration fixes rather than new architecture. For production, pin a specific version, review migrations before running them, and back up or inspect the page-view table before schema changes.
- How do I upgrade Laravel Glimpse from v0.5.0 to v0.5.1?
- Treat v0.5.1 as a routine patch upgrade: update your Composer constraint, run composer update for the package, and execute php artisan migrate. Clear cached config or routes if your deployment process requires it, then check php artisan schedule:list to confirm commands are registered. Review the index-related migration carefully if you already have a large glimpse_page_views table.
- Does Laravel Glimpse support MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite?
- The v0.5.1 notes mention an index-length migration fix that is likely aimed at MySQL or MariaDB with utf8mb4 and older index-length limits. Official database support is not confirmed in the available notes, so test the migration on your target database. Teams on PostgreSQL or SQLite should confirm the migration is portable before rolling it out.
- Why might Laravel Glimpse page-view data be incomplete after scheduling?
- The v0.5.1 scheduler autoregistration fix implies that earlier versions may have failed to register scheduled commands correctly. After upgrading, verify registration with php artisan schedule:list. If you previously registered commands manually, remove duplicate registrations to avoid conflicting or repeated scheduling.
- What are alternatives to Laravel Glimpse for Laravel analytics?
- Laravel Glimpse fits teams that want lightweight, first-party page-view tracking inside a Laravel application. If you need event streaming, advanced dashboards, or dedicated analytics infrastructure, a full analytics platform or custom event pipeline may be a better fit. Evaluate data residency, PII handling, and retention needs before choosing an alternative.
- How is Laravel Glimpse maintained and versioned ahead of v1.0?
- Laravel Glimpse is currently pre-1.0, with v0.5.1 being a patch release containing integration and migration fixes. A formal deprecation policy is not documented in the available notes, so pin to a specific minor or patch range and review changelogs before upgrading. Expect possible API, schema, or configuration changes before v1.0.