michaelalber/php-architecture-checklist

PHP Architecture Checklist

"A checklist cannot fly a plane, but a pilot cannot fly safely without one." — Atul Gawande

Core Philosophy

Shared across the dotnet / python / php / rust architecture checklists — same values, language-specific checks.

| # | Value | What it means | |---|-------|---------------| | 1 | Detect before judge | Determine version/framework/structure before applying any item; context decides what is idiomatic. | | 2 | Evidence over opinion | Every finding cites file:line and the offending pattern. "Overuses facades" is not a finding; "OrderController.php:42 calls DB::raw with request input" is. | | 3 | Feature cohesion | Organized by business capability, not technical layer. Cross-feature coupling is a violation. | | 4 | Dependencies point inward | Domain/service logic does not depend on framework facades or HTTP. Boundaries are explicit. | | 5 | Explicit error handling | Failures handled at the right layer; no silent swallowing; errors carry diagnostic context. | | 6 | Config & secrets hygiene | No hardcoded secrets; configuration injected, not reached for globally; secrets from env / secret-manager. | | 7 | Version awareness | Recommendations are gated to the detected version; never suggest an API that does not exist there. | | 8 | Tests gate change | Untested code is a finding; high-risk modules without tests are prioritized. | | 9 | Graded, actionable output | A letter grade (A–F) from counted findings, plus prioritized, version-correct recommendations. |

Workflow

Shared skeleton: DETECT → SCAN → REPORT → RECOMMEND.

DETECT     PHP version (composer.json `require.php`), framework (Laravel/Symfony/plain + version),
           autoloading (PSR-4 in composer.json), and whether a test suite exists (PHPUnit/Pest).
           Record findings; if a version cannot be determined, ask — never assume 8.3.

SCAN       Run the PHP Checklist below section by section. Gather evidence with tooling:
             phpstan analyse              # static analysis (target level >= 6)
             php-cs-fixer fix --dry-run   # PSR-12 style drift (Laravel projects: `pint --test` instead — wraps php-cs-fixer with Laravel's preset)
             composer outdated            # dependency currency
           Every violation becomes a finding with file:line and a severity (critical/high/medium/low).

REPORT     Emit the graded report (Output Template). Grade = function of counted findings.

RECOMMEND  Prioritize: critical → quick wins → modernization. Version-gate every recommendation;
           never suggest an API absent from the detected PHP / Laravel version.

PHP Checklist (language-specific)

| # | Check | Severity | |---|-------|----------| | 1 | Service-layer boundaries — business logic in service classes, not controllers; constructor DI over static facades (Auth::, DB::) in domain code | Critical | | 2 | Strict typing — declare(strict_types=1) in every file; all params and returns type-hinted; phpstan clean at the project level | High | | 3 | Input validation — Form Requests (or equivalent) validate at the boundary; never trust raw $request->input() | Critical | | 4 | Query safety — Eloquent / Query Builder with bound parameters; no string-concatenated SQL; no DB::raw on user input | Critical | | 5 | YAGNI / Rule of Three — abstractions earned; no speculative repository/interface layers for a single implementation | High | | 6 | Config & secrets — secrets in .env, read via config() (never env() outside config files); no hardcoded credentials | Critical | | 7 | PSR-12 + PSR-4 — php-cs-fixer/phpcs clean (pint on Laravel); correct PSR-4 autoloading; no class-per-file violations | Medium | | 8 | Thin controllers — controllers orchestrate (validate → call service → return); no business rules or persistence inline | High | | 9 | Test coverage — behavioral tests (PHPUnit/Pest) for business logic; high-risk untested code flagged | High |

PHP/Laravel conventions: php conventions. Full section-by-section list: review checklist.

State Block

<arch-checklist-state>
language: php
mode: DETECT | SCAN | REPORT | RECOMMEND | COMPLETE
detected: [php 8.x | framework+version | psr-4 | tests:yes/no]
issues_found: [critical:N high:N medium:N low:N]
last_action: [what was just done]
next_action: [what should happen next]
</arch-checklist-state>

Output Template

Shared across all four architecture checklists.

## Architecture Checklist: [project] (PHP)
**Version**: [8.x] | **Framework**: [Laravel x/Symfony/plain] | **Tests**: [yes/no]

| Section | Pass | Fail | Warn |
|---------|------|------|------|
| Boundaries / Typing / Validation / Queries / Config / PSR / Tests | … | … | … |

### Grade: [A–F]
Grading: **A** 0 crit/0 high/≤3 med · **B** 0 crit/≤2 high · **C** 0 crit, gaps in one area ·
**D** 1+ crit · **F** fundamental problems (raw SQL on input, secrets in code, no service layer).

| Severity | Location | Finding | Recommendation |
|----------|----------|---------|----------------|
| CRITICAL | file:line | [pattern] | [version-gated fix] |

**Quick wins**: [low-effort, high-impact] · **Modernization**: [larger items with effort estimate]

AI Discipline Rules

• Detect the PHP/Laravel version first. Recommending enums or readonly properties to a PHP 7.4 project produces invalid findings.
• Evidence or it is not a finding. Run the tools; cite file:line. Never grade on vibes.
• Architecture, not security. Injection, mass-assignment, and secrets-exposure findings belong to php-security-review — note them and route there.
• Do not rewrite during a review. Produce findings + recommendations; the team decides and tdd drives the fix.

Integration with Other Skills

• architecture-review — When the grade is D/F, escalate to the Socratic critic: this checklist finds what is wrong; architecture-review builds why.
• php-security-review — Companion for the security dimension (OWASP, mass-assignment, query injection).
• tdd — Methodology for adding tests the checklist flags as missing, and for driving any refactor.
• dotnet / python / rust-architecture-checklist — Sibling skills sharing this exact Core Values + workflow + output.