Sentinel Laravel Package

Product Decisions This Supports

• Subscription Monetization: Enables SaaS-style billing for FilamentPHP applications, unlocking recurring revenue models (e.g., monthly/annual plans).
• Trial Periods: Supports time-bound trials to reduce churn and attract users (e.g., 14-day free trials).
• License Management: Centralizes user/tenant licensing logic, reducing manual enforcement overhead.
• Roadmap Acceleration: Avoids building custom billing infrastructure (e.g., Stripe/Paddle integrations, license validation) by leveraging a pre-built solution.
• Filament Ecosystem: Aligns with FilamentPHP’s admin panel needs, reducing integration friction for teams already using Filament.
• Build vs. Buy: Justifies outsourcing billing/license logic to a niche package instead of generic SaaS tools (e.g., Stripe Billing).

When to Consider This Package

• Adopt if:

  • Your product targets B2B SaaS with tenant/subscription models (e.g., multi-tenant apps, agency tools).
  • You use FilamentPHP v5+ and need quick billing/license integration without deep customization.
  • Your team lacks Stripe/Paddle expertise or wants to avoid reinventing license validation.
  • You prioritize low-code setup (e.g., pre-configured plans, trial periods) over bespoke billing flows.
  • Your PHP/Laravel stack is v8.2+ and Laravel 12+.

• Look elsewhere if:

  • You need multi-currency or complex pricing tiers (package lacks extensibility docs).
  • Your app requires enterprise-grade compliance (e.g., PCI DSS for payments—this handles logic but not payment processing).
  • You’re not using FilamentPHP (package is tightly coupled to it).
  • You need open-source maturity (0 stars, 0 dependents, minimal community signals).
  • Your billing needs advanced features (e.g., coupons, prorations, usage-based billing).

How to Pitch It (Stakeholders)

For Executives: "Sentinel lets us launch a subscription model for [Product] in weeks—not months—by plugging into Filament’s admin panel. It handles license trials, plan management, and tenant billing automatically, reducing dev overhead and accelerating revenue. For ~$0 upfront (open-source), we avoid the complexity of building Stripe/Paddle integrations from scratch, while still owning the customer experience. Ideal for [use case: e.g., ‘scaling our agency tool to 100+ paying teams’]."

For Engineering: *"This package gives us:

• Pre-built license/trial logic for Filament apps (no custom validation code).
• Stripe/Paddle-agnostic billing hooks (we integrate our preferred gateway).
• Zero frontend work—just configure plans in .env and add a Filament page. Tradeoff: Limited to Filament v5+ and basic plans, but cuts dev time by 80% vs. DIY. Recommend evaluating for [specific feature: e.g., ‘tenant onboarding’]."*

For Design/Product: *"Sentinel’s Filament integration means we can:

• Gate features by subscription (e.g., hide ‘Advanced Analytics’ for free users).
• Auto-enroll trials without manual setup.
• Centralize billing links (e.g., ‘Upgrade Plan’ buttons) via Filament’s UI. Downside: UI is admin-only (no public storefront), so we’d still need a separate checkout flow for new users."*