# leafsphp/leaf

🍁 Go from idea to launch with clean and elegant PHP that grows with you. The framework for makers

Repository: https://github.com/leafsphp/leaf
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/leafsphp-leaf
Homepage: https://leafphp.dev
Language: PHP
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: php, php-framework, leaf, leafphp, php-micro-framework, framework, framework-php, mvc, api, rest-framework
Last push: 2026-08-20T10:03:58+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 98/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 98, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2517, "days_push": 13, "days_rel": 18, "gap_med": 16, "n_releases_24m": 18}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1310, forks 70 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:19.852228+00:00)

## What it is
Leaf is a lightweight, modular PHP framework focused on developer experience, rapid development, and high performance for web apps and APIs. It offers a minimal core with optional installable modules (auth, database, queues, mail) and AI-readable project context introduced in Leaf 5.

## Use cases
- build a rest api in php quickly
- lightweight php micro-framework for small web apps
- rapidly prototype a php backend without heavy framework bloat
- add auth and database to a php app incrementally
- serve  endpoints with minimal setup
- use a php framework that works well with ai coding assistants
- build an mvc php application with modular packages

## When to choose
- you want a slim, fast PHP framework with a shallow learning curve
- you prefer modular architecture where you install only what you need
- you're building APIs or small-to-medium web apps rapidly
- you want AI tools to understand your project structure and conventions
- you need compatibility with plain PHP packages and existing projects

## When to avoid
- you need a batteries-included enterprise framework with a huge ecosystem like Laravel or Symfony
- your team relies on framework-specific tooling and conventions from larger ecosystems
- you require extensive built-in features out of the box without installing modules

## Facets
- artifact type: framework
- maturity: active
- function: web-framework, api-framework, routing, middleware, auth, templating
- domain: web-development, backend, apis
- platform: php, cli
- tags: micro-framework, mvc, rest-api, ai-native, modular, developer-experience, web-server

## Member repositories
- leafsphp/leaf (main) score 98

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:19.852228+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:49:55.863181+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/leafsphp/leaf (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:19.852228+00:00, sha be37b34c7217)
  - homepage: https://leafphp.dev (fetched 2026-08-29T12:08:08.758520+00:00, sha 57b7fe81daed)
  - site_page: https://leafphp.dev/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T12:08:08.780821+00:00, sha 8b30997661ee)
  - site_page: https://leafphp.dev/docs/modules (fetched 2026-08-29T12:08:08.784702+00:00, sha 74016c2eb14e)
  - site_page: https://leafphp.dev/docs/frontend (fetched 2026-08-29T12:08:08.787454+00:00, sha 1d04a6671462)
  - site_page: https://leafphp.dev/docs/ai (fetched 2026-08-29T12:08:08.789876+00:00, sha 95754706e7b7)
  - site_page: https://leafphp.dev/community/faq (fetched 2026-08-29T12:08:08.782961+00:00, sha 15e6305db689)
  - site_page: https://blog.leafphp.dev/posts/alchemy-earned-its-keep.html (fetched 2026-08-29T12:08:08.792227+00:00, sha ac0ff2cf7dd2)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.