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Framework Laravel Package
pinatra/framework
Pinatra Framework is a Laravel-based foundation for building modular PHP applications. It offers reusable components and conventions for structuring code, extending functionality, and maintaining web projects, helping teams develop faster with a consistent architecture.
A PHP copy of Sinatra: a DSL for quickly creating web applications in PHP with minimal effort.
Frequently asked questions about Framework
- What is pinatra/framework and is it a Laravel package?
- Pinatra Framework is a standalone Sinatra-style PHP micro-framework that provides a small DSL for building web applications. It is not a Laravel package; it has its own bootstrap, routing, and request/response lifecycle. You can install it with Composer, but it does not ship a Laravel service provider, facade, or Eloquent integration.
- How do I install pinatra/framework with Composer?
- Install it with composer require pinatra/framework in a standalone PHP project. Because the project is effectively unmaintained and PHP 7-era, pin your PHP runtime and commit the composer.lock file. Validate the installation against your target PHP version before building anything beyond a prototype.
- Can I use Pinatra inside an existing Laravel application?
- It is technically possible to install via Composer, but it is a poor fit inside a Laravel monolith. There is no Laravel service provider, facade, config publishing, PSR-7/PSR-15 middleware model, or Eloquent and queue integration. Running both in one process risks routing collisions, global helper conflicts, and duplicated request handling.
- What PHP versions does Pinatra support?
- Pinatra reflects PHP 7-era assumptions and does not publish strong PHP 8.x compatibility guarantees. You should test your exact target PHP version with PHPUnit, static analysis, and composer audit. Pin the base image and dependencies, and expect to patch or fork if you need modern PHP support.
- How should I integrate Pinatra with Laravel in production?
- Run Pinatra as a separate PHP-FPM service behind Nginx or an API gateway, and let Laravel remain the system of record, auth boundary, and UI/backend application. Integrate over HTTP with shared tokens or JWT, centralized logging, rate limits, and health checks. Keep Pinatra limited to a small set of stateless endpoints.
- Is Pinatra still maintained and safe for production?
- The last release was in September 2018, adoption is low, and upstream appears effectively unmaintained. There is no vendor support and security patching is sparse, so production use requires explicit ownership, dependency patching, PHP upgrades, and security reviews. Treat it as a narrow prototyping tool, not a strategic platform component.
- What are good use cases for Pinatra?
- Good fits are narrow, isolated services such as an internal utility, webhook receiver, microservice, or disposable prototype. It is not appropriate for core domain workflows or long-lived platform components. If the service becomes business-critical, define an exit or rewrite trigger early.
- How do I test a Pinatra application?
- Add smoke tests around each route and behavior before making changes, then use PHPUnit and static analysis against your pinned PHP version. Because documentation and test coverage are thin, you should add explicit tests for routing, request handling, error paths, and security headers. Containerize the app so tests run against the same runtime as production.
- What are alternatives to Pinatra for Laravel developers?
- For Laravel applications, use Laravel itself for routing, middleware, auth, validation, Eloquent, and queues rather than embedding a second micro-framework. If you need a separate lightweight PHP service, consider Slim or Symfony, which have stronger maintenance and PSR support. A standalone Laravel service can also cover small API use cases.
- How do I migrate an existing Pinatra app to Laravel or another framework?
- Inventory routes, globals, environment variables, dependencies, and implicit behavior, then add smoke tests and containerize the app before changing frameworks. Pin the PHP runtime and validate compatibility with PHPUnit, static analysis, and composer audit. Plan a rewrite to Laravel, Slim, or Symfony if the service becomes business-critical, and use canary or parallel-run cutover where possible.
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