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Livewire

A PHP framework for Laravel that builds interactive web components without writing JavaScript.

Stars
23.6k
Forks
1.8k
Licence
MIT
Language
PHP
Last update
5 days ago
Type
Framework

What it is

Livewire is a full-stack framework for Laravel, the PHP web framework. It lets developers build dynamic user interface components while staying in PHP rather than writing most of the front-end code by hand. The README describes it only briefly, so details beyond that come from the official documentation it links to.

  • Build a dynamic UI component that updates without a full page reload
  • Add interactive forms or widgets to an existing Laravel application
  • Write browser tests for components using the project's test commands

Great for

  • PHP developers who already use Laravel
  • Teams wanting interactive pages without a separate JavaScript frontend
  • Developers building forms, dashboards, or other dynamic UI inside Laravel apps

Not ideal for

  • People not using Laravel, since the project is built specifically for it
  • Projects needing a heavy client-side single-page app, as this approach keeps logic on the server
Step-by-step guide: how to use LivewireInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

How to get it

  1. 1

    Install with a package manager

    You'll need: PHP · Composer · Node.js · Laravel

    Clone the repository (contributors)

    git clone git@github.com:livewire/livewire.git && cd livewire

    Install dependencies and set up ChromeDriver (contributors)

    composer setup

    Build JS assets after changes

    npm run build
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Read the official documentation at livewire.laravel.com/docs
    • Install Livewire into a Laravel project using the documentation's instructions
    • Create a component and render it in a Blade view
    • Run composer test:unit to confirm the local development setup works
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Use the official documentation for features and installation details not covered in the README
    • Run composer test:browser for browser-based component tests
    • Use composer test:browser:headed to watch browser tests run in Chrome
    • Filter tests with composer test:browser -- --filter to focus on specific areas

Downloads

Strengths

  • Keeps UI logic in PHP, so one language covers much of the stack
  • Has an official documentation site linked from the README
  • Open-source under the permissive MIT license

Trade-offs

  • Tied to Laravel, so it is not useful for other PHP or non-PHP stacks
  • README gives little detail on features, so the docs must be read separately
  • Contributor setup needs Composer, Node tooling, and ChromeDriver for full test runs

How it compares

ProjectStarsTypeLevelUpdatedBest for
livewire (this)23.6kFrameworkintermediate5 days agoPHP developers who already use Laravel
filament32.4kLibraryintermediate4 days agoLaravel developers building internal admin panels

Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.