- What is yungifez/april-ui and is it a Laravel UI library?
- April UI is a Blade-first UI component library for Laravel applications, inspired by shadcn and built with Tailwind CSS and Alpine.js. It provides reusable components for server-rendered dashboards, admin panels, settings pages, and CRUD screens. It is not a framework-agnostic design system and is a poor fit for API-only services or Inertia/React/Vue frontends.
- How do I install April UI in a Laravel application?
- Install it with Composer, then follow the package publish steps for assets and configuration; Laravel package auto-discovery should register the service provider. The main integration work is frontend: make sure Tailwind scans the package Blade views and Alpine is loaded correctly. Confirm whether built JavaScript assets are published by the package or need an app-side build step.
- Why are my April UI components rendering unstyled?
- The most common cause is Tailwind purging the package utility classes because vendor/yungifez/april-ui is missing from your Tailwind content paths. Add the package Blade view paths to your Tailwind content configuration and rebuild CSS. Also check Tailwind v3 versus v4 compatibility, CSS layer order, and twMerge configuration.
- Does April UI work with Livewire and Alpine.js?
- April UI uses Alpine.js for interactive components, so Alpine must be loaded exactly once. If your app uses Livewire, which bundles Alpine, or another Alpine integration, duplicate registration and plugin conflicts are possible. Complex components such as sidebars, dropdowns, dialogs, and nested menus are scope-sensitive, especially under Livewire DOM morphing or partial updates.
- Which Laravel and PHP versions does April UI support?
- April UI is distributed as a Laravel Composer package with package auto-discovery, but you should verify the exact Laravel and PHP constraints in its composer.json before installing. Compatibility also depends on your Tailwind and Alpine setup, not just PHP versions. Run a spike in a branch and test the components you rely on before upgrading.
- How do I test April UI table sorting in Laravel?
- Treat data-table sorting as behavior to test explicitly rather than assume. Version 1.3.6 includes a fix so the chosen sort now precedes the builder implicit order, which means earlier versions had subtly wrong ordering semantics. Write tests for default order, user-selected sort, and nested or partial-update scenarios.
- Is April UI safe to use in production admin panels?
- It can be suitable for internal dashboards and admin panels in server-rendered Laravel monoliths, but treat it as a niche library requiring a spike. The main risks are maintainer concentration, project maturity, tight coupling to your Tailwind and Alpine setup, and Alpine scope fragility in complex components. Validate accessibility, CSP behavior, caching, and asset publishing before production rollout.
- How does April UI handle Content Security Policy with Alpine.js?
- Alpine inline x-data and x-on expressions are a common CSP failure point, so a strict Content Security Policy may break interactive April UI components unless you use the CSP-safe Alpine build. Test dialogs, dropdowns, menus, and sidebars under your actual CSP headers. Also verify any optional dependencies, such as TipTap, load without violating policy.
- What are alternatives to April UI for Laravel Blade interfaces?
- If you want a Blade component system, evaluate Livewire/Flux and other Laravel UI libraries against April UI shadcn-inspired visuals and Alpine behavior. If your team is standardized on Inertia, React, or Vue, a React/Vue shadcn setup may fit better. April UI is strongest for Blade monoliths that want shadcn-style components without a full SPA.
- How do I keep April UI assets current after package upgrades?
- Version 1.3.6 builds asset tags per request instead of resolving them at Blade compile time, which helps package upgrades and republished assets surface fresh URLs without clearing compiled views. Still republish assets as directed and verify behavior behind response caching or a CDN. Confirm whether assets are package-published or app-built.