Continuous Integration (CI) Boilerplate for Laravel with GitHub Actions

Continuous Integration (CI) is crucial for modern software development. It automates the process of testing and validating code changes to ensure they integrate smoothly with the existing codebase. By implementing CI, you can catch issues early, reduce manual testing efforts, and maintain a high standard of code quality. This leads to more reliable and maintainable code, faster development cycles, and fewer bugs in production.

The core of this CI boilerplate is the .github/workflows/laravel.yml file. Here’s what you’ll find in this file:

Main File: .github/workflows/laravel.yml

This boilerplate includes a GitHub Actions configuration file designed to guide you through setting up CI for Laravel. Here's a detailed breakdown of its key parts:

1. Branch Configuration:

branches: ["master"]

This section specifies that the workflow will run on pushes and pull requests to the master branch. You can customize this to include other branches if needed.

2. PHP Versions

php-version: ["8.1", "8.2"]

This sets up the CI pipeline to test your code against PHP versions 8.1 and 8.2, ensuring compatibility with these versions.

3. MySQL Docker Image

image: mysql:8.0

This specifies the MySQL version (8.0) used for database operations during testing. It ensures that your tests run in an environment that mimics production.

4. PHP Setup

extensions: mbstring, mysqli, pdo_mysql
tools: laravel/pint, overtrue/phplint

Installs essential PHP extensions like mbstring, mysqli, and pdo_mysql needed for Laravel to function properly.

Laravel Pint: Performs code style checks to ensure your code follows consistent standards.

Overtrue PHPLint: Lints PHP code to detect potential issues and improve code quality.

5. PHP Linting

phplint --exclude=*.log --exclude='*.txt' .

Runs PHP linting across your codebase, excluding certain file types like logs and text files. This helps catch syntax errors and potential issues in your PHP code.

6. Install Dependencies

composer install -q --no-ansi --no-interaction --no-scripts --no-progress --prefer-dist

Installs all PHP dependencies listed in your composer.json file. This ensures that all required packages are available for your application.

7. Run Migrations

php artisan migrate --database=mysql

Runs Laravel migrations on the MySQL database to set up the required schema. This step is crucial for ensuring that your tests run against the correct database structure.

Fresh Project Setup

This boilerplate is built for Laravel 11 and is ideal for starting a fresh project. Whether you’re setting up a new Laravel application or integrating it into an existing project, this CI configuration provides a solid foundation for maintaining code quality and reliability.

More Details

To get started with your own project, check out the GitHub repository. There, you’ll find additional documentation and instructions to help you setup to project specific needs.