CakeDC Blog

TIPS, INSIGHTS AND THE LATEST FROM THE EXPERTS BEHIND CAKEPHP

When and why should you upgrade to CakePHP 5?

Written by Jorge on December 19, 2023
4489 VIEWS

CakePHP 5.0.0 was released on September 10th. The current version as of today is 5.0.3 (released Nov 28th and compatible with PHP 8.3 https://github.com/cakephp/cakephp/releases/tag/5.0.3).

You might be asking yourself some questions related to the upgrade… here's what we've been recommending to our clients to do since version 5 was released.

Leaving aside the obvious reasons for an upgrade, today we're going to categorize the decision from 2 different points of view: Your current CakePHP version, and your role in the project.

When should you upgrade? 

 

We are going to use current CakePHP version as the main criteria:

* If you are in CakePHP <= 2

  * We strongly recommend an upgrade as soon as possible. If you are unable to upgrade, try to keep your PHP version and all the underlying dependencies as fresh as you can and isolate the application as much as possible. If your application is internal, consider using a VPN blocking all outside traffic. If your site is open to the public, consider using an isolated environment, hardened. Adding a web application firewall and a strict set of rules could also help to mitigate potential security issues. Even if CakePHP is very secure, the older versions of CakePHP, like  1 and 2  have a very old code base , and other vendors/ libraries could be a serious security risk for your project at this point.

 

* If you are in CakePHP 3.x

  * The effort to upgrade at least to CakePHP 4.x should not be a blocker. We would recommend upgrading at least to the latest CakePHP 4.5.x. You can actually "ignore" the deprecations for now, you don't need to plan for upgrading your authentication/authorization layers just yet, focus on getting your project stable and up to CakePHP 4.5.x in the first round.

 

* If you are in CakePHP 4.x

  * Upgrading to CakePHP 5.x is not an immediate priority for you.

  * I would say, 2024 is a good time to start planning for an upgrade. Feature and bugfix releases for 4.x will continue until September 2025. Security fixes will continue for 4.x until September 2026. You have plenty of time to consider an upgrade, and take advantage of newer (and faster!) PHP versions.

 

Why should you upgrade? 

 

We are going to use your role in the project to provide some good reasons:

* If you are a developer

  * More strict types, meaning better IDE support and more errors catched at development time.

  * New features in CakePHP 5.x will make your code more readable, like Typed finder parameters https://book.cakephp.org/5/en/appendices/5-0-migration-guide.html#typed-finder-parameters   

  * Quality of life features, reducing development time like https://book.cakephp.org/5/en/appendices/5-0-migration-guide.html#plugin-installer

  * Compatibility with PHP 8.3 for extra performance & support

 

* If you are a manager

  * Ensure your development team is forced to drop old auth code and embrace the new authentication/authorization layer https://book.cakephp.org/5/en/appendices/5-0-migration-guide.html#auth

  * The new authentication layer will allow you to easily integrate features like single sign on, two factor authentication or hardware keys (like Yubikeys), as there are plugins available handling all these features.

  * Get an extended support window. CakePHP is one of the longest maintained frameworks out there, upgrading to CakePHP 5 will keep your core maintained past 2026.

  * Upgrade to PHP 8.3 and force legacy vendors to be up to date with the new version, this will also push your team to get familiar with the new PHP core features.

 

* If you are an investor, not directly related with the project day-to-day operations

  * Secure your inversion for a longer period.

  * Reduce your exposure to security issues.

  * Send a strong message to your partners, keeping your product updated with the latest technology trends.

  * Send a strong message to your team, investing in the upgrade of your application will let them know the project is aiming for a long term future.

 

In conclusion, upgrading to CakePHP 5 is a good move for 2024 whether you're a developer, manager, or investor. The version 5 is stable and ready to go.

Staying current becomes not just a best practice but a strategic advantage.

 

If you are in doubt, feel free to contact us. We'll review your case (for free) and provide an actionable recommendation based on your current situation in the next business day.

 

Latest articles

3967 Views

Build a Single Page Application Using CakePHP and InertiaJS

Build a Single Page Application using CakePHP and InertiaJS

  The Inertia Plugin allows a CakePHP application to integrate Vue 3 components in the front end, without the need to write a specific API for data transfer. This is done  by adding a Middleware and view classes that facilitate the conversion of objects and data in JSON almost automatically, as well as the direct load in the components. The plugin is thought of as a base to extend and use your app’s specific controllers and views from. Just because  it works out of the box doesn't mean it is intended to be used exactly as is,  but this will  provide you a good kick start. See the repo here: https://github.com/CakeDC/cakephp-inertia

Requirements

  • CakePHP 4.5
  • PHP >= 8.1
  • NodeJS 18.9 (only for build Vue Components, not required on running site)

 

Step 1: Create a basic CakePHP install

  For this example I will use a basic installation using Docker and Composer.  First you must create project from cakephp/app  
$> composer create-project --prefer-dist cakephp/app:~4.5 inertia_app $> cd inertia_app $> cp config/app_local.example.php config/app_local.php
  Then write an docker-compose.yml file as:
version: '3' services:   psql13:     image: postgres:13     container_name: inertia-app-postgres13     volumes:       - ./tmp/data/inertia-postgres13__db:/var/lib/postgresql:delegated     environment:       - POSTGRES_USER=my_app       - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secret       - POSTGRES_DB=my_app       - PGUSER=my_app       - PGDATABASE=my_app       - PGPASSWORD=secret     ports:       - '7432:5432'     cakephp:     image: webdevops/php-nginx:8.1     container_name: inertia-app-cakephp     working_dir: /application     volumes:       - ./:/application:cached       - ~/.ssh:/home/application/.ssh:ro     environment:       - WEB_DOCUMENT_ROOT=/application/webroot       - DATABASE_URL=postgres://my_app:secret@inertia-app-postgres13:5432/my_app     ports:       - "9099:80"
  Launch the container and go to http://localhost:9099/  
$> docker-compose up -d
 

Step 2: Add CakePHP Inertia plugin

  Install plugin via command line:
$> composer require cakedc/cakephp-inertia
  Once installed enable it in src/Application.php, adding at the bottom of bootstrap function:
$this->addPlugin('CakeDC/Inertia');
  or by command line:
$> bin/cake plugin load CakeDC/Inertia

 

Step 3: Create Vue App and install it

  To create Vue App type in command line:
$> bin/cake create_vue_app
  This command create in the resources directory the files that use our App, also create in root directory the files:
  • webpack.mix.js
  • package.json
  Then in root directory install with NPM:
$> npm install

 

Step 4: Create simple SPA (Single Page Application)

  Create a single page called dashboard that show values sets in a controller action We need to first add InertiaResponseTrait  
use CakeDC\Inertia\Traits\InertiaResponseTrait;   class PagesController extends AppController {    use InertiaResponseTrait;    ...  ...   }
  Create a new function that would look like this:
public function dashboard() {   //set default php layout of plugin that use vue   $this->viewBuilder()->setTheme('CakeDC/Inertia');     $page = [       'text' => 'hello world 1',       'other' => 'hello world 2',   ];   $this->set(compact('page')); }
  in config/routes.php uncomment lines to catch all routes:
$builder->connect('/{controller}', ['action' => 'index']); $builder->connect('/{controller}/{action}/*', []);
and comment line:
$builder->connect('/pages/*', 'Pages::display');
  Then create file resources/js/Components/Pages/Dashboard.vue that would look like this:
<script setup> import Layout from '../Layout' import { Head } from '@inertiajs/vue3' import {onMounted} from "vue";   defineProps({     csrfToken: String,     flash: Array,     page: Array, })     onMounted(() => {     console.log('Component Dashboard onMounted hook called') }) </script>   <template>     <Layout>         <Head title="Welcome" />         <h1>Welcome</h1>         <p>{{page.text}}</p>         <p>{{page.other}}</p>     </Layout> </template>
  On root directory execute:
$> npm run dev
  IMPORTANT: Whenever you modify the .vue templates, you must run this script. Go to http://localhost:9099/pages/dashboard to see that Dashboard Vue Component prints values assignments on Dashboard CakePHP function.
   

 

Step 5: Bake CRUD system

  For this example, we use sql file on config/sql/example/postgresql.pgsql   That creates a database with the relations     Once the database has been created, bake models and controllers as normal using:
$> bin/cake bake model Pages --theme CakeDC/Inertia $> bin/cake bake controller Pages --theme CakeDC/Inertia $> bin/cake bake model Tags --theme CakeDC/Inertia $> bin/cake bake controller Tags --theme CakeDC/Inertia $> bin/cake bake model Categories --theme CakeDC/Inertia $> bin/cake bake controller Categories --theme CakeDC/Inertia
  and bake templates using vue_template instead of template as:
$> bin/cake bake vue_template Pages --theme CakeDC/Inertia $> bin/cake bake vue_template Tags --theme CakeDC/Inertia $> bin/cake bake vue_template Categories --theme CakeDC/Inertia
  Again run:
$> npm run dev
  You can the results from this example by going to http://localhost:9099/pages/index   In the following recording you can see how to add, edit and delete a record without reloading the page at any time.

 

Step 6: Using prefix and adding a navigation menu

  Add route to prefix Admin on config/routes.php
$builder->prefix('admin', function (RouteBuilder $builder) {    $builder->fallbacks(DashedRoute::class); });
  To generate controllers and template with a prefix use --prefix option of bake command as:
$> bin/cake bake controller Pages --prefix Admin --theme CakeDC/Inertia $> bin/cake bake controller Tags --prefix Admin --theme CakeDC/Inertia $> bin/cake bake controller Categories --prefix Admin --theme CakeDC/Inertia $> bin/cake bake vue_template Pages --prefix Admin --theme CakeDC/Inertia $> bin/cake bake vue_template Tags --prefix Admin --theme CakeDC/Inertia $> bin/cake bake vue_template Categories --prefix Admin --theme CakeDC/Inertia
  You can add a horizontal menu to navigate through controllers   Edit resources/Components/Layout.vue and put inside header tag links as:
<header>    <Link as="button" href="/pages/index" class="button shadow radius right small">Pages</Link>    <Link as="button" href="/tags/index" class="button shadow radius right small">Tags</Link>    <Link as="button" href="/categories/index" class="button shadow radius right small">Categories</Link> </header>
  Again run:
$> npm run dev
  You can see the results from this  example by going to http://localhost:9099/admin/pages/index   In the following recording you can see how to add, edit and delete a record without reloading the page at any time and navigate through pages, tags and categories.

  Hopefully this example will make your experience easier! Let us know: [email protected].

Written by Acampanario on March 06, 2024

4030 Views

A quick CakePHP Local environment with DDEV

In the realm of web development, a seamless local environment is the bedrock for efficient and stress-free coding. Enter DDEV, a powerful tool that simplifies the setup process and empowers developers to dive into their projects with ease. In this blog post, we'll embark on a journey to demystify the process of setting up a local development environment using DDEV. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting in the world of web development, optimizing your local environment can significantly enhance your workflow.

Pre Conditions :

Install Docker https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/ and install DDEV https://ddev.readthedocs.io/en/stable/

Step 1: Create a new CakePHP project skeleton 

composer create-project cakephp/app myproject A new folder "myproject" will be created with a CakePHP project skeleton inside. Go to this new directory and proceed with the following instructions.

Step 2: Initial ddev setup

Run ddev config
This will do the initial ddev setup, press enter for all questions.  Run ddev auth ssh
This will add ssh key authentication to the ddev-ssh-auth container

Step 3: Adjust the settings

Inside "myproject" a new .ddev folder will be created, open config.yaml  and adjust there: php version, database and the database url environment.  For PHP:
php_version: "8.1"

For the database: database: type: mysql version: "8.0" For the environment variable: web_environment: - DATABASE_URL=mysql://db:db@db/db

Step 4: Start ddev

ddev start  This will spin up the project.

Step 5: Open your application

ddev launch This will open your project in a browser.   Once you have the application up and running, some useful commands you could run are:
  • ddev composer to execure composer
  • ddev mysql to get into the database
  • ddev ssh takes you into the web container.
In this link https://ddev.readthedocs.io/en/latest/users/usage/cli/ you can see more useful commands.   Hope you enjoy playing with DDEV!

 

   

 

 

Written by Yelitza on November 22, 2023

3521 Views

CakeFest 2023 Recap

CakeFest 2023 once again brought together developers from around the world for a weekend of baking (code), insightful talks, and community building. This year's event, featuring speakers from eight different countries and attendees joining both in person and via live streaming, was a refreshing convergence of passion and technology.

International Flavor:

One of the highlights of CakeFest 2023 was its international reach. Speakers from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Brazil, and Spain graced the virtual and physical stages, sharing experiences in the world of CakePHP and software development. This lineup added a diverse perspective to the event's discussions.  

A Weekend of Learning and Networking:

CakeFest attendees enjoyed a weekend filled with learning opportunities, covering things from beginner workshops to cutting-edge software development trends, to the future of CakePHP. Workshops, panels, and presentations provided valuable insights and knowledge of the framework. We hope that everyone had the chance to expand their skills, connect with other developers, and forge new professional relationships. When CakeFest wasn't in session, the core/CakePHP team and attendees spent a lot of time getting to know each other… Groups went to lunch and dinner every day of the event. This is probably my favorite part of the physical conferences.    

Baking and Code:

Day 1 consisted of 2 full workshops from Jorge González and lead core developer Mark Story. The third workshop presented by Kevin Pfeifer was included in day 2’s hybrid model. Followed by talks from: John Killcommons (keynote) of Zulucare/Zulucloud, Rafael Queiroz (Github actions for beginners and applied to CakePHP basic projects), Celso Fontes (PGE Digital, a successful CakePHP project in Rio de Janeiro's Attorney), and Andres Campanario (Integration of inertiajs on CakePHP to bake CRUD SPA).    Day 3’s speakers included: Remy Bertot (keynote) of Passbolt, Mark Scherer  (How to use your IDE effectively for CakePHP), Alejandro Ibarra (Unveiling the Ultimate Showdown: A Comparative Analysis of Local Development Tools), Stefan Koopmanschap (Domain-Driven Design: The Basics), Umer Salman (Agile Deployment of CakePHP Web Applications in a Hybrid Kubernetes Cluster), and Wim Godden (Websockets as the glue to interactivity).    It was a weekend worth remembering for sure. The unique blend of networking and code at CakeFest allowed attendees to see just how far CakePHP has come, and will go, plus some pretty cool things built with the framework.     

The Cake Ceremony:

No CakeFest would be complete without the much-anticipated cake ceremony. We hope that those attending virtually were able to enjoy some with us. In LA, we carried on the tradition of allowing Mark Story to be the “cutter of the cake”. Now that I think about it, he never asks to cut the cake, but it’s a honor nonetheless. 

   

Conclusion:

CakeFest 2023 was a celebration of passion, knowledge, and creativity. With its global reach, experienced speaker lineup, and faithful community, we believe that the event left attendees inspired and eager to continue their works using Cake. We also learned about all of the cool places that CakePHP is being utilized, from the attorney general's office in Brazil, all the way to nasa using some CakePHP in space (more or less). We also heard from some of our CakePHP core developers - specifically their thoughts on CakePHP 5 and what’s to come. You can see a lot of photos on Facebook and Twitter and the edited presentation videos will be posted to YouTube soon. We are working on getting slides uploaded into the CakeFest site as we speak (or type).    Someone said to me that there's a little bit of magic in every slice of cake and every line of code… I think that pretty well sums up our great weekend at CakeFest.

Written by Amanda on October 12, 2023

We Bake with CakePHP