DALT.PHP — learn-by-building PHP starter

A tiny, beginner‑friendly PHP micro‑framework for learning by doing.

• Plain PHP controllers and views
• Raw SQL (SQLite by default; Postgres/MySQL ready)
• Minimal helpers (Router, DB, Session, CSRF)
• Optional Tailwind + DaisyUI + Vite + Alpine.js

Create a new project

composer create-project ibnuafdel/daltphp my-app "^0.1@alpha"
cd my-app

What happens automatically:

• .env is created with SQLite defaults (no DB setup required)
• storage/logs is prepared
• If Node is available, post-create may install/build assets (optional)

Run the app

php artisan serve

• Starts the PHP built-in server on a free port (8000, 8001, ...)
• Uses public/router.php so static files (e.g. /favicon.svg, /css/*, /js/*) are served correctly
• Keep the terminal open to see request logs

Optional (for HMR/live reload):

npm ci
npm run dev

If Vite dev server or manifest is not available, views fall back to static assets under /js/app.js, /js/app.css, or /css/style.css.

File structure (small and familiar)

public/                 # index.php (front controller), router.php, favicon.svg
routes/routes.php       # define routes
Http/controllers/       # your plain PHP controllers
config/                 # app.php, database.php (SQLite default)
resources/
  views/
    layouts/            # head.php, nav.php, footer.php
    status/             # 403.php, 404.php, 500.php
  js/app.js             # Vite entry (imports ../css/input.css)
  css/input.css         # Tailwind entry
framework/
  Core/                 # router, db, session, middleware, helpers
  examples/             # auth demo (optional)
database/migrations/    # migrations (Illuminate Database)
storage/logs/.gitkeep   # logs dir
artisan                 # minimal CLI: serve/migrate/etc

Routes and controllers

• Add routes in routes/routes.php:

$router->get('/', 'welcome.php');

• Create a controller in Http/controllers/welcome.php:

<?php
view('welcome.view.php');

• Views live in resources/views/.

Route parameters and middleware

• Route params: /posts/{id} → available as $_GET['id']
• Methods: $router->get(), post(), patch(), delete()
• Middleware on a route:

$router->post('/session', 'session/store.php')->only(['guest','csrf']);

Built-in keys: csrf, auth, guest.

Database

SQLite by default (zero setup). To switch to PostgreSQL or MySQL, edit .env.

SQLite (default):

DB_DRIVER=sqlite
DB_DATABASE=database/app.sqlite

PostgreSQL:

DB_DRIVER=pgsql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=5432
DB_NAME=dalt_php_app
DB_USERNAME=postgres
DB_PASSWORD=

MySQL:

DB_DRIVER=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_NAME=dalt_php_app
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=

Migrations (powered by illuminate/database):

php artisan migrate          # run migrations
php artisan migrate:fresh    # drop sqlite DB and re-run
php artisan make:migration posts

Auth example (optional)

Install the demo (register/login/logout):

php artisan example:install auth

What it does:

• Copies demo controllers and views into your app
• Appends auth routes to routes/routes.php
• Shows Login/Register or Logout links in the header

Debug and errors

• Set APP_DEBUG=true in .env for a simple stack trace on errors
• In production, errors are logged to storage/logs/app.log and a clean resources/views/status/500.php is shown
• Status pages: resources/views/status/{403,404,500}.php

Frontend

• Vite + Tailwind + DaisyUI + Alpine.js are prewired
• Entry: resources/js/app.js (imports ../css/input.css)
• In views, assets are included via <?= vite('resources/js/app.js') ?>
• No Node? It’s fine—static fallbacks are used if present under /js or /css

Philosophy

• Learn PHP by reading and writing plain PHP files
• Keep the core small and explicit (no magic)
• Understand HTTP, sessions, and SQL fundamentals
• When you’re ready, graduate to full frameworks like Laravel

License

MIT