PHP 8.2 starter kit for shipping real products
It ships with passwordless authentication, Stripe billing, files + AI helpers, optional multi-tenancy, queue/audit automation, and developer tooling while keeping the codebase explicit and maintainable.
$ composer install
$ npm install
$ cp .env.example .env
$ php database/migrate.php
$ npm run dev
The commands above are the same ones documented in the setup instructions. No generated CLI, no hidden scaffolding step.
Features
Keel groups practical capabilities into clear building blocks so you can ship product features quickly without giving up ownership of the stack.
Quickstart
These steps mirror the README setup flow: install dependencies, create your environment file, run php database/migrate.php, then set auth and optional feature flags.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Why Keel
Keel is opinionated where repetition wastes time: routing, controller structure, auth flow, mailer wiring, and asset handling already have a sensible shape.
It stays honest by keeping the machinery small. When you open the code six months later, the path from request to response is still obvious and local.
That balance is the point: enough structure to move quickly, not so much abstraction that the foundation starts steering the product.
FAQ
Keel is an open-source PHP 8.2 starter kit for building SaaS applications, with passwordless authentication, Stripe billing, optional multi-tenancy, and a plain-PHP MVC structure.
Yes. Keel is open source under the MIT License.
No. Keel uses a custom lightweight MVC foundation and does not require Laravel or another PHP framework.
No. This Keel project is unrelated. It is an independent open-source PHP starter kit for SaaS applications.
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