nader/lily

An elegant, zero-dependency, PSR-4 MVC framework.

v0.1.0 2026-06-06 06:05 UTC

Requires

• php: ^8.2

MIT

• framework
• php
• mvc
• zero-dependency
• lily

README

Lily is a robust, zero-dependency, PSR-4 compliant PHP MVC framework engineered from the ground up to embrace modern architectural paradigms while remaining incredibly lightweight. It provides the elegance of large frameworks without the bloat of hundreds of third-party Composer packages.

Installation

You can create a new Lily project instantly using Composer. Even though Lily relies on zero external dependencies, we use Composer for quick scaffolding:

composer create-project nader/lily my-app
cd my-app
php lily serve

(Note: The setup process automatically generates your .htaccess, nginx.conf, and web.config files!)

Requirements

• PHP >= 8.2

Architecture & Features

• Zero Dependencies: Lily does not rely on any third-party packages in its core. It uses a blazing fast, custom native autoloader.
• Inversion of Control: Centralized Dependency Injection Container managing class instantiation and singleton bindings.
• Strict HTTP Abstraction: Isolation of all superglobals ($_GET, $_POST, etc.) into robust Request and Response objects.
• Middleware Pipeline: Onion-architecture HTTP Kernel pipeline for filtering requests.
• Stems: An elegant, native alternative to Facades, allowing static-like access to DI container instances.
• Zero-Dependency Job Queue: A native, asynchronous, file-based job queue worker (php lily queue:work).
• Bolt Authentication: A blisteringly fast API Authentication engine (like Laravel Sanctum) that uses OPcache flat-file arrays for zero-DB token verification.
• HotEyes Telemetry: An advanced, stealth client-side tracking and anomaly detection engine that intercepts VPN/Proxy attacks and Hardware-Bound Session hijacking.
• Database Schema Auto-Diffing: Define schema via PHP 8 #[Column] attributes, and let php lily migrate:diff automatically compare your models to your SQLite database and generate the migration files.
• SSE Hot-Reload Dev Server: Instantly refreshes your browser when you save any file during development.

Directory Structure

• app/ - Application logic (Controllers, Models, Middleware, Providers).
• src/ - Core Framework Logic (Lily Kernel).
• public/ - Front Controller & Assets.
• tests/ - QA and unit tests.

Routing

Define routes elegantly in routes/routes.php using the Route Stem, which proxies static calls to the underlying Router instance:

use Lily\Support\Stems\Route;
use App\Controllers\HomeController;
use Lily\Http\Request;
use Lily\Http\Response;

// Basic routing
Route::get('/', [HomeController::class, 'index']);

// Subdomain routing
Route::on('api.*')->post('/data', function (Request $request) {
    return new Response('API Endpoint');
});

Dependency Injection

Bindings can be configured within Service Providers inside the app/Providers directory. The container supports auto-resolution via reflection.

$app->singleton(MyService::class, fn($app) => new MyService());
$service = $app->get(MyService::class);

CLI Console

Lily includes an integrated command-line tool lily for automation and scaffolding.

Usage

php lily serve
php lily config:generate
php lily make:controller UserController