Saucebase Installer

The official CLI for creating Saucebase applications — a globally-installed Composer package, like laravel/installer.

composer global require saucebase/installer
saucebase new my-app

saucebase new creates a new project and runs the full install flow (environment, database, frontend, modules) in one pass. No PHP yet? Use the one-command bootstrap at install.saucebase.dev.

Requirements

• PHP ^8.4 and Composer (the only universal prerequisites — same as Laravel itself)
• Docker driver: Docker Desktop or Docker Engine with the Compose plugin; mkcert only if you enable SSL
• Native driver: a local PHP capable of running the app; the CLI points you to php.new if anything is missing

The CLI checks and instructs for prerequisites — it never installs them for you.

Installation

composer global require saucebase/installer

Make sure Composer's global bin directory is on your PATH (composer global config bin-dir --absolute).

Commands

saucebase new <name>

Creates a new Saucebase application and installs it end to end.

saucebase new my-app

Runs a self-update check, then collects every choice upfront (driver → SSL if Docker → stack → modules) so the install runs unattended. It scaffolds the app via laravel/installer (using the saucebase/saucebase starter kit), then runs the full install flow against it. Your driver choice is remembered in ~/.config/saucebase/config.json as the default for next time.

Options

Option	Description
--driver=docker|native	Environment driver (skips the prompt)
--stack=vue|react	Frontend stack (skips the prompt)
--ssl=yes|no	Enable HTTPS via mkcert, Docker only (skips the prompt)
--modules=auth,billing	Install specific modules by name, or none to skip modules
--all-modules	Install every module compatible with the stack
--using=vendor/skeleton	Use a different starter kit instead of saucebase/saucebase
--fresh	Run migrate:fresh instead of migrate (destructive)
--force	Overwrite an existing directory and skip confirmations
--dev	Contributor mode (uses the skeleton's dev branch, skips modules)

Examples

# Fully interactive
saucebase new my-app

# Vue + Docker with SSL, all compatible modules
saucebase new my-app --driver=docker --ssl=yes --stack=vue --all-modules

# React + native PHP, no modules
saucebase new my-app --driver=native --stack=react --modules=none

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saucebase install

Runs the install flow against an existing Saucebase app. This is what new calls under the hood; run it standalone to (re)provision an app you already have.

cd my-app
saucebase install

Takes an optional stack argument (vue/react) and the same --driver, --ssl, --modules, --fresh, --force options as new, plus --path to target a directory other than the current one.

Docker driver — copies the Docker stubs (docker-compose.yml, Dockerfile, nginx.conf, …), generates SSL certs if enabled, patches .env with MySQL/Mailpit/APP_URL defaults, brings up docker compose, then generates APP_KEY, migrates, wires the frontend, and installs modules.

Native driver — copies .env.example → .env, generates APP_KEY, migrates and seeds, wires the frontend, installs modules, and links storage.

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saucebase stack <vue|react>

Selects or switches the frontend framework for an app.

saucebase stack vue
saucebase stack react

Copies the framework-specific source, config (package.json, vite.config.js, tsconfig.json, …), lockfile, and blade layout into place, removes the unused framework's directory, and records the choice in frontend.json.

Options

Option	Description
--path=<dir>	Target app directory (defaults to the current directory)
--dev	Contributor mode — config only, keeps both source dirs, uses git skip-worktree, runs npm install
--reset	Reverts generated files to their pre-selection state

Note: Framework selection is permanent for a given installation. To switch, start a new project or use --reset (dev mode).

How it works

saucebase is a standalone Illuminate\Console\Application (not a Laravel package — no service provider). It operates on a target directory via --path, running artisan steps as subprocesses (php <path>/artisan …). Project creation is delegated to laravel/installer; everything after — environment, database, frontend, modules — is the Saucebase install flow.

License

MIT