Resque Laravel Package

Getting Started

• Requirements first: this release is the PHP 8-only line. Confirm the project runs PHP >= 8.0 before pulling 5.0.3; on PHP 7.x you must stay on the previous major/minor.
• Install: composer require the package, then publish its config (php artisan vendor:publish --tag=resque-config or the provider's publish group) and review the Redis connection block (host, port, database, password).
• Where to look first:
  • config/resque.php (or equivalent) — connection + queue definitions.
  • StartWorkerCommand — the class changed in this release; it now accepts/uses auth when connecting.
  • The package's job base class / perform() contract.
• First use case: define a minimal job class with a perform() method, enqueue it from a controller or artisan command, then run the worker via the package's artisan command and watch the job execute. Validate the happy path on a non-production Redis database before wiring queues into your app.

Implementation Patterns

• Job classes as plain objects: keep job payloads small and serializable (scalars/arrays). Pass IDs and re-hydrate Eloquent models inside perform() rather than serializing models.
• Enqueue from services, not controllers: wrap the enqueue call behind a small service/action so queue names and payload shapes live in one place and are easy to test.
• Queue topology: declare named queues with explicit priority order in config; run workers per queue (or per priority list) under Supervisor with numprocs, autostart, and restart-on-exit.
• Auth wiring (new in this release): supply the Redis password through the package config sourced from env (REDIS_PASSWORD), so StartWorkerCommand authenticates consistently with the rest of the app's Redis connections. Never hardcode it in config.
• Deploy workflow: enqueue during the web request, but run and restart workers as a deploy step (queue:restart equivalent or Supervisor restart) so long-lived workers pick up new code.
• Integration: if the app already uses Laravel's queue system, treat this as a separate driver — document which jobs go through Resque vs. the native queue to avoid double-dispatch confusion.
• Testing: point the package at a dedicated Redis DB index in phpunit.xml, flush it between tests, and assert enqueues by inspecting the Redis queue or using the package's test helpers if provided.

Gotchas and Tips

• PHP 8 is a hard break: typed properties, constructor promotion, and named arguments in the package can conflict with subclassed job classes written for PHP 7. Audit custom job base classes and overrides during upgrade.
• Workers cache code in memory: code changes are not picked up by running workers. Any deploy that changes job classes must restart workers, or you'll debug "stale" behavior for hours.
• Auth failures surface as connection errors: if StartWorkerCommand now passes credentials, a missing/blank password env var typically shows up as a generic Redis NOAUTH/connection refused. Check env resolution before the worker process, and log the resolved host/port/db (never the password).
• Database index collisions: sharing a Redis DB between cache/session/Resque causes opaque key clashes and jobs disappearing on cache flush. Isolate Resque on its own database index.
• Failed jobs need a home: configure the failure backend and actually inspect it; without it, exceptions in perform() vanish.
• Memory growth: long-running workers leak memory in PHP. Set a job/interval limit and let Supervisor recycle processes.
• Extension points worth knowing: the job class resolver (for namespaced jobs), the worker event hooks (before/after job, on failure), and the connection factory — these are the cleanest places to add logging/metrics without forking the package.
• Pin the version: given the PHP 8-only branch and a command-level behavior change, pin ^5.0.3 in composer.json and run the worker command manually once in staging to confirm auth works before rolling to production.