- What does zareismail/nova-pusher actually do?
- It is a small Laravel Nova integration package that registers Laravel Echo into the Nova front end so your Nova components and custom tools can subscribe to broadcast channels. Instead of wiring Echo by hand into every Nova tool, you let the package bootstrap it once. This is mainly useful when you want real-time notifications, live resource counters, or event-driven panels inside Nova.
- How do I install zareismail/nova-pusher?
- Install it with Composer using composer require zareismail/nova-pusher. Because it is a Nova package, it is normally auto-discovered through Laravel package discovery. After installing, clear your compiled assets and config cache so the Echo bootstrap gets picked up by Nova.
- Which Laravel and Nova versions are supported?
- The repository listing does not include an explicit support matrix, so check the package's composer.json for the required laravel/framework and laravel/nova constraints before installing. Nova major versions change their asset pipeline regularly, so confirm the constraint matches your installed Nova release. If your Nova version is not allowed by the constraint, Composer will refuse the install.
- Do I need Pusher, or does it work with Laravel Reverb and Soketi?
- Despite the name, the package is really about registering Laravel Echo, so the underlying broadcaster is whatever your Laravel broadcasting configuration specifies. That means Pusher Channels, Laravel Reverb, Soketi, or Ably can work as long as Echo supports the driver you configure. Set the broadcaster in config/broadcasting.php and make sure the client credentials exposed to the browser match.
- Where do I configure the Echo and Pusher credentials?
- Credentials belong in your environment file, typically the standard PUSHER_APP_KEY, PUSHER_APP_CLUSTER, and related broadcasting variables, and they are read through config/broadcasting.php. The package then exposes what Nova needs to initialise Echo in the browser. Never hardcode keys in a Nova tool or a published config file that ends up in version control.
- Do I still need to install laravel-echo and pusher-js?
- In most setups the JavaScript dependencies are pulled in through your Nova asset build, so verify what package.json entries the install step requires for your Nova version. If your custom tool imports Echo directly, make sure the same version is used to avoid duplicate instances on the page. Running the Nova asset compile step after installation usually resolves missing dependency errors.
- How do I listen to a private channel from a custom Nova tool?
- Authorise the channel in your application's routes/channels.php as usual, then subscribe from your tool's JavaScript using the Echo instance the package registers. Private and presence channels still rely on Laravel's standard broadcasting authentication endpoint. If subscription fails, check the auth endpoint path and that the logged-in Nova user passes the channel authorisation callback.
- Does this work in production behind a load balancer or with a custom domain?
- Yes, provided your websocket endpoint is reachable over HTTPS and WSS from the browser, which usually means configuring the host and port in your Echo options. Behind a proxy or load balancer you may need to allow websocket upgrade headers. Also confirm that any CSP rules on your Nova host permit connections to the websocket origin.
- How can I test that broadcasting works inside Nova?
- Fire a test broadcast event from tinker or a console command and watch the browser network tab for the websocket connection and channel subscription. In automated tests you can use Event::fake() to assert that events are dispatched without needing a live websocket server. For end-to-end checks, a local Reverb or Soketi instance keeps the loop fast and offline.
- Is zareismail/nova-pusher actively maintained, and what are the alternatives?
- It is a single-maintainer package with limited public documentation, so review the commit history and open issues before adopting it in a long-lived project. Alternatives include bootstrapping Echo yourself in a custom Nova tool's service provider or asset bundle, or using a broader Nova real-time package. If you only need real-time behaviour in one tool, hand-rolling the Echo setup is often less risky than adding a dependency.