PSR-15 · middleware-first architecture

A headless platform for building modern web applications

Dotkernel is a set of open-source PHP applications - REST API, admin, and queue - that ship assembled on Mezzio and Laminas, over one shared Doctrine domain layer called Core. OAuth2, RBAC, HAL, and a generated OpenAPI spec are wired together on install, not left for you to choose.

Runtime

Mezzio + Laminas

Standards

PSR-7 · PSR-11 · PSR-15

License

MIT

Headless Platform

API, Admin, and Queue declare the same Core namespaces - the same entities, repositories, and services. Three deployables that scale independently and never disagree about the domain.

Deployable · Shares Core

The HTTP surface of your platform, ready for any client.

REST APIs on a readable PSR-15 middleware pipeline - no kernel, no facades, no runtime magic. OAuth2, RBAC, and OpenAPI included.

Deployable · Shares Core

A back office for complete control over the same data your API serves.

A ready-to-go admin skeleton - table-based CRUD screens for your records, plus the pieces for reports and dashboards.

Deployable · Shares Core

Work your users should not wait for, moved off the request.

Background job processing for the platform - dispatch work from API or Admin and run it in a separate worker. Built on Symfony Messenger.

Developer tooling

A production-like environment on your machine, and the context your AI tools need to write Dotkernel code - both ready before anything reaches your users.

Tooling · Local environment

Development Environment

A controlled local workspace for building and testing before release.

AlmaLinux on WSL2 for a RHEL-compatible local stack. One install script configures PHP, Apache, MariaDB, Git, Composer, Node.js, and phpMyAdmin.

Tooling · AI context

Faster AI-assisted development, grounded in Dotkernel's own standards.

Dotkernel context for AI coding tools - current standards, architectural patterns, and framework idioms, so generated code matches the ecosystem instead of guessing at it.

Other skeletons

Not every project needs the full platform. These two skeletons stand on their own, outside the Headless Platform above.

Skeleton · Minimal

A small site or service without a platform around it.

The smallest complete Mezzio application - PSR-15 pipeline, routing, and templating, nothing to strip out. A real starting point for a simple site.

Skeleton · Standalone

A server-rendered web application you can build on.

A web starter skeleton for full-stack applications on Mezzio and Laminas - server-rendered Twig views, forms, sessions, and RBAC-guarded routes.

Packages

Small, independent dot-* packages - pull in what you need. Lifecycle status for each lives on the Packages Lifecycle page.

Application

dot-data-fixturesCLI interface for interacting with doctrine/data-fixtures

dot-controllercontrollers usable like middleware inside Dotkernel or Mezzio

dot-flashmessengerflash messenger library for session messages between redirects

dot-navigationconfigurable navigation elements, configuration-based approach

dot-response-headermiddleware for setting and overwriting custom response headers

dot-twigrendererTwig extensions and customizations

Security

dot-auth-socialauthenticate users through social networks, return credentials + user details

dot-authenticationbase package defining authentication service interfaces

dot-authorizationbase package defining authorization service interfaces

dot-rbacRBAC authorization implementation

dot-rbac-guardRBAC handler/controller guard for authorizing app sections

dot-rbac-route-guardRBAC handler guard for authorizing app sections

dot-sessionextends and customizes laminas/laminas-session

dot-totpTime-Based One-Time Password (TOTP) authorization component

Tools

dot-annotated-servicesannotation-based dependency injection

dot-dependency-injectionattribute-based dependency injection

dot-cachecache component based on symfony/cache

dot-clibuild console applications based on laminas/laminas-cli

dot-debugbardebug bar built on top of maximebf/php-debugbar

dot-errorhandlererror logging component

dot-eventextends and customizes laminas/laminas-eventmanager

dot-geoipgeographical details about an IP address

dot-helpershelper structures and classes, based on mezzio/mezzio-helpers

dot-logstructured application logging

dot-mailmail component based on symfony/mailer

dot-makergenerates Dotkernel project files and directories

dot-routercomplex routing, based on mezzio/mezzio-fastroute

dot-user-agent-snifferdevice details parsed from a user agent, based on matomo/device-detector

Also used, without a dedicated package page: doctrine/orm (object-relational mapper for PHP), doctrine/dbal (DB abstraction, schema introspection).

Contributing and Support

Contributing

If you wish to contribute to the project, read the contributing guidelines.

Support

If you need support with the project, join us on Slack.

Discussions

For open discussions, please use GitHub Discussions.

Security

For reporting security issues, please review our security policy.