#74 - Official PHP SDK for MCP 🧩, SheafUI 📦, Laravel Zero Downtime Deployments 🔄, Ask Google not to take away the freedom to install APKs 🚫, lazyById 💡

The latest release introduces a prepend count option for Str::plural(), enum support in the Collection's countBy and groupBy methods, and allows enums for model connections. Finally, the fluent() helper now supports null and iterable types.

Discover Laravel starter kits offering a range of options: official kits provide standardized stacks, while community kits cater to specific needs like SaaS, admin panels, and AI.

Learn about deploying Laravel applications with zero downtime and managing rollbacks using VitoDeploy, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted updates for your projects.

The ⁠lazyById method can be used to process large datasets efficiently by retrieving models in chunks, ordered by their primary key. This approach helps in significantly reducing memory usage.

User::lazyById()->each(function ($user) {
    // Process each user
    echo $user->name;
});

The PHP Foundation, Anthropic, and Symfony are collaborating on a framework-agnostic PHP SDK for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enhancing PHP visibility and readiness for AI development.

PHP 8,5 adds a new FILTER_THROW_ON_FAILURE flag to filter_var and related filter functions. When enabled, failed validations/conversions throw an exception instead of returning false/null, allowing stricter, exception-based input handling and clearer error reporting.

SheafUI is a free, open-source Blade UI platform for Laravel that installs components via a CLI and copies native Blade + Alpine code directly into your app for full ownership, with optional Livewire support. It ships with 33+ production-ready components inspired by shadcn/ui.

Taylor Otwell emphasizes simplicity in coding, warning against complex solutions that bypass frameworks like Laravel. He advocates for embracing Laravel's design, noting its widespread use among PHP developers despite mixed opinions.

A Change petition urges action against Google's decision to block APK installations outside the Play Store, threatening Android's openness, user choice, and innovation. Protect app freedom and support developers now.