PHPackages genericmilk/cooker - PHPackages - PHPackages [Skip to content](#main-content)[PHPackages](/)[Directory](/)[Categories](/categories)[Trending](/trending)[Leaderboard](/leaderboard)[Changelog](/changelog)[Analyze](/analyze)[Collections](/collections)[Log in](/login)[Sign up](/register) 1. [Directory](/) 2. / 3. [Utility & Helpers](/categories/utility) 4. / 5. genericmilk/cooker ActiveLibrary[Utility & Helpers](/categories/utility) genericmilk/cooker ================== The Laravel-native frontend toolkit. Tailwind, React, Vue, TS — without the Node baggage. 10.0.0(2mo ago)66.7kMITPHPPHP >=8.3CI passing Since Oct 10Pushed 2mo ago1 watchersCompare [ Source](https://github.com/genericmilk/cooker)[ Packagist](https://packagist.org/packages/genericmilk/cooker)[ RSS](/packages/genericmilk-cooker/feed)WikiDiscussions master Synced yesterday READMEChangelog (4)Dependencies (17)Versions (44)Used By (0) [![](banner.png)](banner.png) Cooker is the Laravel-native frontend toolkit. It gives you Tailwind, React, Vue, TypeScript and JSX/TSX bundling — all driven from `php artisan`, with no Node, no `npm`, no `node_modules` and no `package-lock.json` in your project. Cooker auto-downloads the binaries it needs (`esbuild`, `tailwindcss`) into `.cooker/bin`. npm packages are fetched directly from the registry and stored flat in `.cooker/packages`. Built assets are written to `public/build` as static files with hashed names. --- Table of contents ----------------- [](#table-of-contents) - [Why Cooker?](#why-cooker) - [Requirements](#requirements) - [Installation](#installation) - [Concepts](#concepts) - [Adding a stack](#adding-a-stack) - [Adding npm packages](#adding-npm-packages) - [The `@cooker` directive](#the-cooker-directive) - [Building & watching](#building--watching) - [Configuration](#configuration) - [Upgrading from Cooker 8](#upgrading-from-cooker-8) --- Why Cooker? ----------- [](#why-cooker) If you've worked with Laravel + Vite or Laravel Mix you'll be familiar with the Node-shaped hole in your project: a `package.json`, a giant `node_modules`, a lockfile, and a separate dev server. Cooker replaces all of that with one Composer package and a small workspace folder. - **No Node required.** Cooker drives `esbuild` and `tailwindcss` as standalone binaries. - **No `node_modules`.** Packages live flat at `.cooker/packages//`. Cooker resolves transitive deps for you. - **One command to install a stack.** `php artisan cooker:add react` installs React + ReactDOM and scaffolds a working `App.jsx`. - **Beginner-friendly defaults.** `@cooker('app.js')` and `@cooker('app.css')` Just Work. - **Static assets in production.** No PHP runtime asset routes — `public/build/*.js` is served by your web server like any other static file. Requirements ------------ [](#requirements) - PHP **>= 8.3** - Laravel 10 or newer - ext-zlib, ext-phar, ext-json (standard with most PHP builds) Installation ------------ [](#installation) ``` composer require genericmilk/cooker php artisan cooker:install ``` The installer will: 1. Publish `config/cooker.php`. 2. Create `.cooker/` (bin, cache, packages) and add it to `.gitignore`. 3. Scaffold starter recipes at `resources/js/app.js` and `resources/css/app.css`. 4. Download `esbuild` for your platform. 5. Optionally bootstrap a stack (`react`, `vue`, `tailwind`). After install, drop into a Blade view: ``` @cooker('app.css') @cooker('app.js') ``` Then build: ``` php artisan cooker:cook # production build php artisan cooker:watch # dev — rebuilds on save ``` Concepts -------- [](#concepts) ### Recipes [](#recipes) A **recipe** maps an output filename to a single entry file. Configured in `config/cooker.php`: ``` 'recipes' => [ 'app.js' => 'resources/js/app.js', 'app.css' => 'resources/css/app.css', ], ``` The output filename's extension determines the loader (`.js`/`.mjs` → script, `.css` → stylesheet). The entry's extension determines parsing — Cooker handles `.js`, `.ts`, `.jsx`, `.tsx`, `.mjs`, `.css`, `.less`, and `.scss`. You import other files normally inside the entry — Cooker bundles them with esbuild. ### The `.cooker/` workspace [](#the-cooker-workspace) ``` .cooker/ ├── bin/ ← auto-downloaded binaries (esbuild, tailwindcss) ├── cache/ ← intermediate compiled CSS, etc. ├── packages/ ← flat npm package extracts └── cooker.json ← installed packages + active stacks ``` `.cooker/cooker.json` is your project's manifest — it's the only file inside `.cooker/` that's checked into git. Adding a stack -------------- [](#adding-a-stack) Stacks are opinionated bundles — they install the right packages, scaffold a working starter, and wire everything in. ``` php artisan cooker:add react # React 18 + scaffolded App.jsx php artisan cooker:add vue # Vue 3 + scaffolded App.js php artisan cooker:add tailwind # Tailwind 4 — adds @import "tailwindcss" ``` After `cooker:add react`: ``` resources/js/ ├── app.jsx ← entry; mounts to #app └── components/App.jsx ← starter component ``` Update `config/cooker.php` to point the recipe at `app.jsx`: ``` 'recipes' => [ 'app.js' => 'resources/js/app.jsx', ], ``` Adding npm packages ------------------- [](#adding-npm-packages) ``` php artisan cooker:add lodash php artisan cooker:add @floating-ui/dom@^1 php artisan cooker:add zod@latest ``` Cooker fetches the tarball straight from the npm registry, extracts it to `.cooker/packages//` and resolves transitive dependencies. There's no `package.json` and no lockfile — `cooker.json` records the top-level packages you asked for. In your code: ``` import _ from 'lodash'; import { z } from 'zod'; ``` Remove with: ``` php artisan cooker:remove lodash ``` The `@cooker` directive ----------------------- [](#the-cooker-directive) ``` @cooker('app.css') @cooker('app.js') ``` Reads `public/build/manifest.json` and emits the right tag with the hashed filename: ``` ``` If a build hasn't been produced for the recipe yet, Cooker emits an HTML comment telling you to run `cooker:cook`. Building & watching ----------------------- [](#building--watching) ``` php artisan cooker:cook # production build, minified php artisan cooker:cook --no-minify # disable minification php artisan cooker:cook --sourcemap # emit sourcemaps php artisan cooker:cook --clean # wipe public/build first php artisan cooker:watch # dev — incremental rebuilds on file change php artisan cooker:watch --no-hmr # disable live reload ``` In `app.debug=true` environments, `cooker:cook` defaults to non-minified + sourcemaps. In production, it minifies and skips sourcemaps. Override per-environment with `COOKER_MINIFY` and `COOKER_SOURCEMAP` env vars. Live reload ----------- [](#live-reload) `cooker:watch` runs an embedded SSE server (default `127.0.0.1:5173`) and the `@cooker` directive injects a tiny client snippet into your pages — but **only when `APP_DEBUG=true`**. - **CSS-only changes** hot-swap the matching `` tag, no full reload. - **JS or mixed changes** trigger `location.reload()`. - The client auto-reconnects if the watcher restarts. Configure host/port in `config/cooker.php` under `dev`, or via `COOKER_DEV_HOST` / `COOKER_DEV_PORT`. Disable entirely with `COOKER_DEV_ENABLED=false` or `--no-hmr`. Configuration ------------- [](#configuration) `config/cooker.php` is short on purpose: ``` return [ 'recipes' => [ 'app.js' => 'resources/js/app.js', 'app.css' => 'resources/css/app.css', ], 'output' => [ 'path' => 'public/build', 'url' => '/build', ], 'toolbox' => [ 'path' => '.cooker/bin', 'esbuild' => '0.24.2', 'tailwind' => '4.0.0', ], 'packages' => [ 'path' => '.cooker/packages', 'manifest' => '.cooker/cooker.json', 'registry' => env('COOKER_REGISTRY', 'https://registry.npmjs.org'), ], 'build' => [ 'minify' => env('COOKER_MINIFY', null), 'sourcemap' => env('COOKER_SOURCEMAP', null), 'target' => env('COOKER_TARGET', 'es2020'), ], ]; ``` Upgrading from Cooker 8 ----------------------- [](#upgrading-from-cooker-8) Cooker 10 is a clean rewrite. The runtime PHP asset server (`__cooker/{file}`), `Ovens`, `Preparsers` and the `import name from 'name'` rewrite-to-CDN behaviour are all gone. To upgrade: 1. `composer require genericmilk/cooker:^10` 2. `php artisan cooker:uninstall` (in your old project) or delete `config/cooker.php` and `.cooker/` manually. 3. `php artisan cooker:install`. 4. Move your hand-written code into the new `resources/js/app.js` / `resources/css/app.css` entry files and add real `import` statements. 5. Replace any old `cooker-toolbelt` / `cooker-routes` imports — they're not part of Cooker 10. 6. For each npm package you used to import directly from `esm.run`, run `php artisan cooker:add `. License ------- [](#license) MIT — see [LICENSE](LICENSE). ### Health Score 57 — FairBetter than 98% of packages Maintenance87 Actively maintained with recent releases Popularity27 Limited adoption so far Community9 Small or concentrated contributor base Maturity86 Battle-tested with a long release history Bus Factor1 Top contributor holds 98.7% of commits — single point of failure How is this calculated?**Maintenance (25%)** — Last commit recency, latest release date, and issue-to-star ratio. Uses a 2-year decay window. **Popularity (30%)** — Total and monthly downloads, GitHub stars, and forks. Logarithmic scaling prevents top-heavy scores. **Community (15%)** — Contributors, dependents, forks, watchers, and maintainers. Measures real ecosystem engagement. **Maturity (30%)** — Project age, version count, PHP version support, and release stability. ### Release Activity Cadence Every ~64 days Recently: every ~187 days Total 38 Last Release 65d ago Major Versions 4.1.5 → 5.0.02022-08-03 5.0.0 → 6.0.02023-03-22 6.0.5 → 7.0.02024-02-24 7.0.5 → 8.0.02025-01-06 8.1.0 → 10.0.02026-04-29 PHP version history (7 changes)v1.0PHP >=7.0 3.0.2PHP >=7.3 4.1.0PHP >=7.4 4.1.3PHP >=8.0 6.0.0PHP >=8.2 6.0.2PHP >=8.1 8.0.0PHP >=8.3 ### Community Maintainers ![](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/3cff61292b60883c06681d13acfaf0942d1cdbb9313a1a111a9f61f9618d9f60?d=identicon)[genericmilk](/maintainers/genericmilk) --- Top Contributors [![genericmilk](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/1846127?v=4)](https://github.com/genericmilk "genericmilk (306 commits)")[![dependabot[bot]](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/in/29110?v=4)](https://github.com/dependabot[bot] "dependabot[bot] (4 commits)") --- Tags laraveltailwindreactfrontendvuebundleresbuildcooker ### Code Quality TestsPest ### Embed Badge ![Health badge](/badges/genericmilk-cooker/health.svg) ``` [![Health](https://phpackages.com/badges/genericmilk-cooker/health.svg)](https://phpackages.com/packages/genericmilk-cooker) ``` ### Alternatives [laravel/framework The Laravel Framework. 34.8k543.8M20.1k](/packages/laravel-framework)[statamic/cms The Statamic CMS Core Package 4.8k3.6M985](/packages/statamic-cms)[laravel/boost Laravel Boost accelerates AI-assisted development by providing the essential context and structure that AI needs to generate high-quality, Laravel-specific code. 3.5k21.5M587](/packages/laravel-boost)[nativephp/mobile NativePHP for Mobile 1.1k75.1k91](/packages/nativephp-mobile)[drupal/core Drupal is an open source content management platform powering millions of websites and applications. 21866.0M1.7k](/packages/drupal-core)[roots/acorn Framework for Roots WordPress projects built with Laravel components. 9762.4M131](/packages/roots-acorn) PHPackages © 2026 [Directory](/)[Categories](/categories)[Trending](/trending)[Changelog](/changelog)[Analyze](/analyze)