How does PHPArkitect compare to PHPStan for architectural enforcement?

PHPArkitect specializes in enforcing architectural rules like layer separation and naming conventions with a rule-based approach, whereas PHPStan focuses on general code quality, type safety, and bug detection. PHPArkitect allows for custom constraints tailored to project-specific architecture, while PHPStan offers broader static analysis.

How to ignore specific classes or violations in PHPArkitect?

Use the 'except' function in rule definitions to exclude classes by name or wildcard, or generate a baseline file to ignore existing violations. For example, Rule::allClasses()->except('App\Controller\Legacy*') can skip legacy code, and baselines can be managed with --generate-baseline and --use-baseline options.

Can PHPArkitect check for SOLID principles in my code?

Partially; it can enforce dependencies and inheritance rules that relate to principles like Dependency Inversion or Interface Segregation, but comprehensive SOLID checks require custom rule definitions and might not cover all aspects, such as Liskov substitution nuances.

What's the best way to integrate PHPArkitect with GitHub Actions?

Add a step in your workflow YAML to run 'vendor/bin/phparkitect check' with the --config option if needed, and use the JSON output format for reporting. The README mentions output formats compatible with CI tools, allowing you to fail the build on violations.

Does PHPArkitect work well with Laravel or Symfony?

Yes, it integrates with frameworks like Laravel via community wrappers (e.g., laravel-arkitect) and can enforce namespace rules for controllers or services. For Symfony, you can define rules for attributes or naming conventions, but it requires manual configuration for framework-specific patterns.

How to handle performance issues with large codebases in PHPArkitect?

Optimize by limiting class sets in configuration to relevant directories, using targeted rules instead of allClasses() where possible, and consider running it in CI rather than frequently during development. The tool parses files statically, so performance may degrade with very large projects.

PHPArkitect — PHP Architecture Constraint Enforcer

What is PHPArkitect?

PHPArkitect is a static analysis tool for PHP that allows developers to define and enforce architectural rules in their codebase. It helps maintain clean architecture by preventing violations like improper dependencies, naming inconsistencies, and layer breaches, providing early feedback during development or in CI/CD pipelines.

Target Audience

PHP developers and teams working on medium to large-scale applications who need to maintain architectural consistency, enforce design patterns, and prevent technical debt as their codebase grows.

Value Proposition

Developers choose PHPArkitect because it turns architectural guidelines into executable code, offers a rich set of built-in rules with a fluent API, integrates seamlessly into development workflows, and catches design violations before they become costly to fix.

Put your architectural rules under test!

Use Cases

Best For

Enforcing layered architecture (e.g., Domain layer not depending on Infrastructure)
Maintaining naming conventions across controllers, services, or repositories
Preventing architectural drift in large PHP applications
Integrating architectural checks into CI/CD pipelines
Documenting architectural decisions as executable rules
Managing dependencies between components in a modular system

Not Ideal For

Projects relying heavily on runtime or dynamic code generation where static analysis cannot accurately trace dependencies
Teams needing instant, IDE-integrated feedback without running CLI commands during development
Legacy codebases with pervasive architectural violations where initial rule setup would be overwhelming without extensive baselining
Applications using multiple programming languages or non-PHP components where cross-language architectural checks are required

Pros & Cons

Pros

Architecture as Code

Rules are defined in readable PHP, making them executable and self-documenting, as demonstrated in the configuration examples where constraints like naming conventions are expressed in simple code.

Comprehensive Dependency Control

Enforces namespace dependencies and layer separation with precise rules like NotHaveDependencyOutsideNamespace, preventing architectural drift in medium to large projects.

Flexible Baseline Management

Supports generating and using baseline files to ignore existing violations while catching new ones, with options to ignore line numbers to handle code changes without false positives.

CI/CD Integration Ready

Outputs results in multiple formats including JSON and GitLab code quality, facilitating easy integration into pipelines for automated checks and reporting.

Cons

Configuration Complexity

Defining accurate architectural rules requires deep understanding of the codebase and design patterns, which can be time-consuming and error-prone for teams without architectural expertise.

Static Analysis Limitations

As a static tool, it may miss runtime dependencies or context-specific violations, and false positives can occur with complex code patterns, such as those using reflection or dynamic imports.

Limited Pre-configured Rules

While it offers rule builders, it lacks out-of-the-box rule sets for common frameworks, requiring custom setup for each project, unlike some code quality tools with built-in presets.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PHPArkitect?

Target Audience

PHP developers and teams working on medium to large-scale applications who need to maintain architectural consistency, enforce design patterns, and prevent technical debt as their codebase grows.

Value Proposition

Use Cases

Best For

Enforcing layered architecture (e.g., Domain layer not depending on Infrastructure)
Maintaining naming conventions across controllers, services, or repositories
Preventing architectural drift in large PHP applications
Integrating architectural checks into CI/CD pipelines
Documenting architectural decisions as executable rules
Managing dependencies between components in a modular system

Not Ideal For

Projects relying heavily on runtime or dynamic code generation where static analysis cannot accurately trace dependencies
Teams needing instant, IDE-integrated feedback without running CLI commands during development
Legacy codebases with pervasive architectural violations where initial rule setup would be overwhelming without extensive baselining
Applications using multiple programming languages or non-PHP components where cross-language architectural checks are required

Pros & Cons

Pros

Architecture as Code

Rules are defined in readable PHP, making them executable and self-documenting, as demonstrated in the configuration examples where constraints like naming conventions are expressed in simple code.

Comprehensive Dependency Control

Enforces namespace dependencies and layer separation with precise rules like NotHaveDependencyOutsideNamespace, preventing architectural drift in medium to large projects.

Flexible Baseline Management

Supports generating and using baseline files to ignore existing violations while catching new ones, with options to ignore line numbers to handle code changes without false positives.

CI/CD Integration Ready

Outputs results in multiple formats including JSON and GitLab code quality, facilitating easy integration into pipelines for automated checks and reporting.

Cons

Configuration Complexity

Defining accurate architectural rules requires deep understanding of the codebase and design patterns, which can be time-consuming and error-prone for teams without architectural expertise.

Static Analysis Limitations

As a static tool, it may miss runtime dependencies or context-specific violations, and false positives can occur with complex code patterns, such as those using reflection or dynamic imports.

Limited Pre-configured Rules

While it offers rule builders, it lacks out-of-the-box rule sets for common frameworks, requiring custom setup for each project, unlike some code quality tools with built-in presets.

Frequently Asked Questions

PHPArkitect

What is PHPArkitect?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

PHPArkitect

What is PHPArkitect?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?