Third-Party Packages

Evaluation

Evaluate third-party packages before adding them to your project.

• Assess package quality, maintenance, and compatibility with Laravel and your PHP version.
• Prefer well-supported, widely-used packages with active maintainers and good documentation.
• Check for recent updates, open issues, and community adoption.
• Review package dependencies and potential security risks.

Approval

• Document new dependencies in project documentation (e.g., README, docs/dependencies.md).
• Get team/CTO approval for major or critical packages.
• Use Composer to manage package installation and updates.

Example:

composer require spatie/laravel-permission

Maintenance

• Keep packages up to date using Composer (composer update).
• Remove unused or deprecated packages to reduce security risks and maintenance overhead.
• Monitor for security advisories and apply updates promptly.
• Test application after package updates to catch breaking changes.

Best Practices

• Avoid using abandoned or unmaintained packages.
• Prefer packages with clear versioning and semantic releases.
• Use Laravel's official or recommended packages when possible.
• Document package usage and configuration for new team members.