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What's New in 6.0

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UserFrosting 6.0 Changelog

This page provides a comprehensive overview of changes in UserFrosting 6.0. For detailed migration instructions, see the Migration Guide.

Major Changes

Unified Monorepo Architecture

What Changed: UserFrosting has consolidated from six separate repositories into a single monorepo.

Before (5.1):

userfrosting/UserFrosting      (Skeleton)
userfrosting/framework          (Core Framework)
userfrosting/sprinkle-core      (Core Sprinkle)
userfrosting/sprinkle-account   (Account Sprinkle)
userfrosting/sprinkle-admin     (Admin Sprinkle)
userfrosting/theme-adminlte     (AdminLTE Theme)

After (6.0):

userfrosting/monorepo           (Everything)

Impact:

  • Simpler dependency management
  • Consistent versioning across all components
  • Easier development and contribution workflow
  • Faster releases and bug fixes

Frontend Stack Overhaul

Vite Replaces Webpack Encore

What Changed: Asset bundling moved from Webpack Encore to Vite.

Key Benefits:

  • ⚡ Instant dev server: No more waiting for compilation—changes appear in milliseconds
  • 🔥 Hot Module Replacement: Update code without losing application state
  • 📦 Optimized builds: Smaller bundles with automatic code splitting
  • 🎯 Better DX: Clearer error messages and simpler configuration

Breaking Changes:

  • webpack.config.js → vite.config.ts
  • encore CLI commands → php bakery assets:vite commands
  • Different asset URL structure in development
  • Asset manifest format changed

Vue 3 & TypeScript First-Class Support

What Changed: Modern JavaScript development is now the default.

New Features:

  • Vue 3 Single File Components (.vue) with <script setup> syntax
  • Full TypeScript support out of the box
  • Composition API for better code organization
  • Better tree-shaking for smaller bundles

Migration Notes:

  • Vue 2 components need updating to Vue 3 syntax
  • Options API still supported but Composition API recommended
  • TypeScript optional but strongly encouraged for new code

UIkit 3 in AdminLTE Theme

What Changed: AdminLTE theme now uses UIkit 3 instead of Bootstrap.

Why: UIkit provides:

  • Modern component design
  • Better LESS integration
  • Lightweight and flexible
  • Excellent customization options

Impact:

  • Custom Bootstrap themes need conversion to UIkit
  • Some component APIs have changed
  • LESS variables and mixins are different

PHP & Dependency Updates

Minimum PHP Version: 8.1

What Changed: Dropped support for PHP 8.0.

Why: PHP 8.1+ provides:

  • Enumerations (enums)
  • Readonly properties
  • First-class callable syntax
  • Better performance
  • Security improvements

Updated Dependencies

Major dependency updates:

  • Laravel Components: 11.x
  • PHPUnit: 11.x
  • Symfony Components: 7.x
  • Eloquent ORM: 11.x

Development Workflow Improvements

Bakery CLI Enhancements

New Commands:

php bakery assets:vite       # Start Vite dev server
php bakery assets:build      # Build assets for production

Improved Commands:

  • php bakery serve - Enhanced with better output
  • php bakery bake - Streamlined installation process

Dual Server Development

New Workflow:

# Terminal 1: PHP backend
php bakery serve

# Terminal 2: Vite frontend (with HMR)
npm run vite:dev

Benefits:

  • Frontend changes appear instantly (HMR)
  • Backend remains stable and reliable
  • Clear separation of concerns
  • Better error handling

API Changes

Breaking Changes

Warning

These changes require code updates in your application.

Asset Loading in Twig Templates

Before (5.1):

{{ encore_entry_script_tags('app') }}
{{ encore_entry_link_tags('app') }}

After (6.0):

{{ vite_js('main.ts') }}
{{ vite_css('main.ts') }}

Configuration Structure

Changed: Some configuration keys have been reorganized.

Before (5.1):

'assets' => [
    'webpack' => [
        'manifest' => 'manifest.json'
    ]
]

After (6.0):

'assets' => [
    'vite' => [
        'dev' => env('VITE_DEV_SERVER', false),
        'manifest' => '.vite/manifest.json'
    ]
]

Sprinkle Asset Structure

Changed: Asset organization within sprinkles.

Before (5.1):

app/sprinkles/custom/
├── assets/
│   ├── webpack.config.js
│   └── src/
│       └── app.js

After (6.0):

app/sprinkles/custom/
├── assets/
│   ├── vite.config.ts
│   └── main.ts

Deprecations

jQuery & Handlebars

Status: Still available but deprecated.

What This Means:

  • Existing jQuery code continues to work
  • New development should use Vue 3
  • Handlebars client-side templating replaced by Vue templates
  • Will be removed in a future major version

Migration Path:

  • Gradually convert jQuery to Vue 3 components
  • Replace Handlebars with Vue's template syntax
  • Use TypeScript for new features

Webpack Encore Support

Status: Maintained for backward compatibility only.

What This Means:

  • Existing Webpack setups continue working
  • New projects should use Vite
  • Webpack documentation moved to legacy section
  • Limited new features for Webpack

Migration Path:

New Features

Asset Management

  • Hot Module Replacement: Instant updates during development
  • Code Splitting: Automatic chunking for better performance
  • Tree Shaking: Unused code automatically removed
  • Source Maps: Better debugging with mapped TypeScript/Vue
  • Legacy Browser Support: Automatic polyfills when needed

Developer Tools

  • Vue DevTools: First-class debugging support
  • TypeScript Checking: Type safety across your application
  • ESLint Integration: Modern linting for Vue/TS/JS
  • Vitest: Fast, Vite-native testing framework

Performance Improvements

  • Faster Build Times: Vite builds 2-10x faster than Webpack
  • Smaller Bundle Sizes: Better tree-shaking and minification
  • Optimized Dev Server: Instant startup, no bundling
  • Better Caching: Improved cache strategies for production

Removals

Removed Dependencies

The following are no longer included by default:

  • ❌ jQuery (deprecated, use Vue 3)
  • ❌ Bootstrap in AdminLTE (replaced by UIkit)
  • ❌ Handlebars (deprecated, use Vue templates)
  • ❌ Webpack Encore (use Vite instead)
  • ❌ Several legacy npm packages (see package.json diff)

Removed PHP Support

  • ❌ PHP 7.4: End of life
  • ❌ PHP 8.0: Superseded by 8.1

Database & ORM

Changes

  • Updated to Eloquent 11.x
  • Better query performance
  • Enhanced relationship loading
  • Improved migration system

Breaking Changes

Minor API adjustments in Eloquent 11.x:

  • Some method signatures updated
  • Deprecated methods removed
  • Better type hints

Testing

Changes

  • PHPUnit 11.x: Latest testing framework
  • Vitest: For frontend unit tests
  • Better test helpers and factories
  • Improved coverage reporting

New Testing Features

# Frontend tests with Vitest
npm run test
npm run coverage

# Backend tests with PHPUnit
vendor/bin/phpunit

Security Updates

  • PHP 8.1+ security improvements
  • Updated security dependencies
  • Improved CSRF protection
  • Better session management

Documentation Updates

  • Complete rewrite for 6.0 architecture
  • New frontend development guides
  • Vite configuration examples
  • Vue 3 component patterns
  • Migration guides from 5.1

Known Issues

Note

Check the GitHub Issues for the latest known issues and workarounds.

What's Next?

See What to Expect for information about the future roadmap and planned features beyond 6.0.