Obsidian-Vault/Work/Random/Laravel-Modularization-Packages-and-Approach.md

Laravel Modularization: Packages and Approach

Snapshot date: 2026-02-24 Scope: Splitting a Laravel application into modules inside one codebase (modular monolith), not microservices.

Practical approach (incremental, low risk)

1. Pick one vertical slice first (for example: Billing, Catalog, Orders).
2. Move code by feature, not by layer:
   • Routes, controllers, requests, policies, views, jobs, listeners, tests.
3. Keep a small Shared or Common area and treat it as a strict dependency boundary.
4. Expose module behavior through clear interfaces (application services, actions, events), not direct class reach-through.
5. Move one module at a time and run tests after each move.
6. Only after 2 to 3 successful modules, standardize scaffolding and conventions.

Package shortlist

Package	Current signal	Compatibility signal	Best fit	Notes
nwidart/laravel-modules	v12.0.4 (2025-06-29), ~14.1M downloads, 6.1k favorites	README maps Laravel 12 -> package 12.x; PHP >=8.2	Default choice for most teams	Most adopted option; strong ecosystem; uses wikimedia/composer-merge-plugin for module autoload merge.
internachi/modular	3.0.1 (2026-02-06), ~606k downloads, 1.1k favorites	`illuminate/support ^11	^12`, PHP >=8.3	Laravel-convention-first modular monolith
zonneplan/laravel-module-loader	v6.0.2 (2025-12-15), ~116k downloads	`illuminate/* ^11		^12`, PHP ^8.2
coolsam/modules	v5.1.0 (2026-01-26), ~87k downloads	Depends on `nwidart ^11	^12, filament/filament ^4	^5`, PHP ^8.3
spatie/laravel-package-tools	1.93.0 (2026-02-21), ~119M downloads	`illuminate/contracts ^10	^11	^12

Probably avoid for Laravel 12+

• caffeinated/modules: latest stable v6.3.1 (2021-03-26), requires illuminate/support ^6|^7|^8.
• pingpong/modules: legacy ancestor, last meaningful activity is old and Laravel constraints are outdated.

Recommendation by scenario

• If you want the safest default: use nwidart/laravel-modules.
• If you prefer strict Laravel package conventions and you are on PHP 8.3+: use internachi/modular.
• If Filament is central: use nwidart/laravel-modules + coolsam/modules.
• If long-term extraction into reusable packages is expected: combine your module approach with spatie/laravel-package-tools.

Quick proof-of-concept plan

1. Create branch: chore/modularization-poc.
2. Install one candidate package.
3. Create one real module (Billing or equivalent).
4. Move one endpoint + one background job + one policy + one test suite into that module.
5. Verify:
   • php artisan route:list
   • migrations load correctly
   • test suite still passes
   • no circular dependencies to/from other domains
6. Estimate complexity before scaling to all domains.

Reference links

• nwidart/laravel-modules: https://github.com/nWidart/laravel-modules
• nwidart docs: https://laravelmodules.com/docs/12
• internachi/modular: https://github.com/InterNACHI/modular
• zonneplan/laravel-module-loader: https://github.com/zonneplan/laravel-module-loader
• coolsam/modules: https://github.com/savannabits/filament-modules
• spatie/laravel-package-tools: https://github.com/spatie/laravel-package-tools
• Packagist search (Laravel modules): https://packagist.org/search/?q=laravel%20modules