- How do I install pbmedia/laravel-api-health in a Laravel app?
- Install the package with Composer, publish its config file, define your checks, and register a schedule entry. You also configure notification routes so alerts can be delivered when a check fails. There are no schema changes or infrastructure prerequisites beyond a running scheduler.
- Does pbmedia/laravel-api-health support Laravel 10, 11, and 12?
- Compatibility is not confirmed. The 5.4.0 release widened the PHP constraint to include 8.2 but did not update the illuminate/* constraints, so Laravel 10, 11, and 12 support remains unverified. Run an install spike on your target Laravel version before adopting it.
- How do I schedule API health checks in Laravel with this package?
- Define the checks in the published config file and add a schedule entry that invokes the package. The scheduler must be running through cron using schedule:run or a queue worker, which most Laravel deployments already have. Checks run outside the normal request path, so they do not add latency to application traffic.
- How do I get notified when an API endpoint is down or unhealthy?
- The package uses Laravel's notification system to alert you when a check fails, so you can route alerts to mail, Slack, or other supported channels through notification routes. Configure the notification destinations in the published config. Because silent alerting failures are the main monitoring risk, verify a real failure notification end to end.
- What is the difference between pbmedia/laravel-api-health and spatie/laravel-health?
- Both cover application and service health checks, but spatie/laravel-health is actively maintained, has a broader check library, and includes history and status-page features. Laravel also ships a native /up health endpoint since 11.x. pbmedia/laravel-api-health is a narrower, bespoke implementation with an uncertain maintenance outlook.
- Is pbmedia/laravel-api-health still maintained?
- The 5.4.0 release was the first sign of activity since 2022 and only added PHP 8.2 support. It did not address Laravel version compatibility, dependency bumps, security fixes, or new checks. The repository's archived status should be re-verified, and one narrow release is not evidence of a maintained support process.
- What are the production risks of using pbmedia/laravel-api-health?
- The checks themselves are simple, so behavioral risk is low, but organizational risk is high because of the bus factor, zero Packagist dependents, and no evident triage or CVE response process. The most dangerous failure mode is a silent break in the alerting path, which leaves you believing you are covered when you are not. Adoption has a small blast radius and is reversible, so a time-boxed spike is reasonable.
- Does pbmedia/laravel-api-health require database migrations or models?
- No. The package is low-coupling: it defines checks in config, runs via the scheduler, and uses Laravel notifications for alerting. It does not own data models or require schema changes, and it is not in the request path for normal traffic.
- Can pbmedia/laravel-api-health monitor third-party APIs as well as internal services?
- Yes. It is designed to monitor first- and third-party services and alert when an endpoint is down or unhealthy. A first working check against a third-party API plus one internal dependency is realistic in under a day. No infrastructure beyond a running scheduler is required.
- Is pbmedia/laravel-api-health a good choice for a greenfield Laravel project?
- Generally no, unless a spike proves it installs cleanly on your target Laravel version and you accept the maintenance risk. Health checking is now commoditized by Laravel's native /up endpoint and actively maintained packages like spatie/laravel-health. For greenfield work, prefer a maintained option and consider this package only when documenting or exiting an existing dependency.