README

Stop rewriting CRUD. Define your backend once, generate everything else.

Laravel Scaffold is a developer productivity tool that generates production-ready Laravel APIs from either:

an existing database, or
a simple human-readable spec file

It is designed for developers and teams who build many backends, not demos.

✅ Used in production
✅ Spec-driven & DB-driven
✅ Clean architecture (Services, Repositories, Requests)
✅ Safe, fast, and extensible

Why This Exists

If you’ve built more than a few Laravel applications, you already know the pattern:

Create models
Write migrations
Build repositories
Add services
Repeat validation rules
Repeat again on the next project

This tool exists to eliminate that repetition.

Instead of writing structure over and over, you define intent once, and let the tool generate consistent, maintainable code.

Installation

composer require ahertl/laravel-scaffold

Two Ways to Use It

1️⃣ Database-First Scaffolding (Legacy or Existing Projects)

Generate a full CRUD API directly from an existing table:

php artisan laravel:scaffold User --table=users --routes

This generates:

Model
Repository
Service
Controller
Optional routes

Perfect for:

legacy systems
modernizing old databases
inherited projects

2️⃣ Spec-Driven Scaffolding (Recommended)

Define your backend using a simple text spec:

user:
- name string required
- email string required unique
- password string hidden

book:
- title string
- isbn string unique
- authorId number

Generate everything:

php artisan laravel:scaffold --spec=api.spec --migration

What Gets Generated

From a single spec, Laravel Scaffold can generate:

✅ Eloquent models (fillable & hidden handled)
✅ Services & repositories
✅ Controllers
✅ Form Request validation classes
✅ Database migrations
✅ API routes (optional)

You can also generate only migrations:

php artisan laravel:scaffold --spec=api.spec --migration-only

Why Spec-Driven?

Spec-driven development ensures:

Database schema
Validation rules
API structure

…all come from one source of truth.

This dramatically reduces:

bugs
inconsistencies
onboarding time

Dry-Run Mode (Safe by Default)

Preview what will be generated without writing files:

php artisan laravel:scaffold --spec=api.spec --dry-run

Example Output Structure

app/
 ├── Models/User.php
 ├── Services/UserService.php
 ├── Repositories/UserRepository.php
 ├── Http/
 │   ├── Controllers/UserController.php
 │   └── Requests/
 │       ├── StoreUserRequest.php
 │       └── UpdateUserRequest.php
database/
 └── migrations/

When This Tool Shines

Laravel Scaffold is ideal if you:

Build multiple Laravel backends
Work on ERP, SaaS, or internal systems
Want consistent architecture across projects
Are tired of rewriting CRUD
Want faster backend delivery without shortcuts

Production Use

This tool has been used in multiple real-world projects to:

speed up backend delivery
standardize API structure
reduce boilerplate and human error

Philosophy

This is not a “magic CRUD generator”.

It enforces:

separation of concerns
explicit structure
predictable output

You stay in control — the tool just removes the busy work.

Roadmap

Planned improvements include:

foreign key detection
richer spec syntax (string:150, default:true)
OpenAPI generation
frontend SDK scaffolding

Contributing

This project is actively maintained and opinionated by the author.

Bug reports and feature discussions are welcome via Issues
Pull requests should be discussed first before implementation
Architectural changes will be evaluated carefully to maintain consistency

The goal is to keep the tool stable, predictable, and production-ready.

Project Governance

Laravel Scaffold follows a Benevolent Dictator For Life (BDFL) model. The maintainer retains final decision-making authority to ensure long-term consistency and quality.

License

MIT

ahertl / laravel-scaffold

Maintainers

Details