Laravel Referral Rewriter Tag Laravel Package

Getting Started

• Requires PHP 8.2+ and is maintained against Laravel 12 via Testbench 10 in v1.0.6. Confirm your app meets that baseline before upgrading.
• Install with Composer using the package name listed in the README/Packagist, then publish the package config so config/referral-rewriter-tag.php is available.
• Start with config/referral-rewriter-tag.php. In v1.0.6 the optional instantgaming.subtag key was added, so this is the first place to configure or override the Instant Gaming referral subtag.
• First use case: route outbound Instant Gaming links through the package’s rewriter/middleware so affiliate/referral tags are applied consistently without hand-editing URLs.
• Look at the package boot smoke test and the Instant Gaming config fallback tests to confirm expected default behavior before wiring it into production routes.

Implementation Patterns

• Keep referral tags config-driven. Put the default in config/referral-rewriter-tag.php and use environment-specific values via .env where appropriate, especially for instantgaming.subtag.
• Apply rewriting narrowly. Use the package middleware/helper on routes that render affiliate links rather than globally, so internal, admin, and non-affiliate URLs are not accidentally rewritten.
• Centralize outbound affiliate URL generation behind a helper, Blade component, or link builder. Let the package perform the final rewrite so controllers and views do not duplicate tag logic.
• Exercise the fallback path in tests: omit instantgaming.subtag and assert the documented fallback default is used; then set an explicit subtag and assert it overrides the fallback.
• For upgrades, run composer update, clear Laravel’s config cache, and run your application test suite. If you maintain a fork or copied CI, note that v1.0.6 removed standalone phpstan.yml and runs static analysis inside run-tests.yml.
• Integrate with existing content/link workflows by testing representative Instant Gaming URLs, including URLs that already contain a subtag, URLs without one, and non-Instant Gaming links.

Gotchas and Tips

• v1.0.6 is primarily a maintenance release, but it adds the instantgaming.subtag config key. Existing published config files may not contain it; merge or republish the config if you want explicit control.
• The new fallback tests mean missing or empty instantgaming.subtag values may resolve to a default rather than remaining unset. Do not assume null/empty disables rewriting unless the package docs confirm it.
• PHP 8.2 is now the local development and CI baseline. If your app is on PHP 8.1 or an older Laravel version, pin v1.0.5 or verify compatibility before upgrading.
• After changing the subtag, run php artisan config:clear or php artisan optimize:clear. Cached config is the most common reason a new referral tag does not appear.
• The Laravel 12/Testbench 10 baseline describes maintained CI coverage, not necessarily a hard runtime break for every older Laravel app. Treat older Laravel versions as unsupported unless you test them yourself.
• The removal of standalone phpstan.yml only affects repository workflows. It does not change package runtime behavior, but forks or copied CI pipelines should update their references.
• Debug by inspecting the final rendered URL, confirming the host matches Instant Gaming, checking the effective config value, and verifying the middleware/helper is actually applied to the route in question.
• Extension points to watch: the published config file, the package service provider bindings, and any middleware alias or helper exposed by the package. Prefer config and middleware over patching vendor code.