README

World-Class PHP 8.5+ Framework - Clean, Modern, Backend-First

A clean, modern, backend-first PHP framework with built-in dynamic UI system, strict routing architecture, enterprise-grade security, and native SSE support.

Version: 3.0.0 "Enterprise"
PHP Requirement: 8.5+
Release Date: April 9, 2026
Website: zenithframework.com

🌟 Why Zen?

✅ Native SSE Support - Real-time streaming without WebSockets complexity
✅ PHP 8.5 Attributes - Clean, inline route definitions
✅ AI Ready - Built-in OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama integration
✅ HTMX Support - First-class Actions system
✅ Modern ORM - 10 relationship types, observers, soft deletes
✅ Queue System - Sync, Database, Redis drivers
✅ Mail System - SMTP, Sendmail, Log drivers
✅ File Storage - Local, S3, FTP support
✅ Task Scheduler - Cron-like scheduling DSL
✅ Authorization - Gates and Policies
✅ Security - WAF, DDoS protection, rate limiting
✅ 118 CLI Commands - Complete development toolkit
✅ Clean Architecture - Predictable, no magic
✅ Comprehensive Docs - Complete syntax and CLI guides

Features

Template Engine

Layout Inheritance - @extends, @section, @yield
Directives - @if, @else, @foreach, @for, @while
Components - <zen:Button>, <zen:Card> with slots
Template Caching - Compiled templates cached in production

Performance

Multi-Level Cache - Memory → APCu → Redis
Advanced Rate Limiting - TokenBucket, LeakyBucket, SlidingWindow
Server Support - Swoole, Workerman, RoadRunner adapters
Connection Pooling - Pre-connected database sockets

Real-time

WebSocket - Full-duplex communication with rooms
SSE - Server-Sent Events support
Connection Pooling - Manage multiple connections

Clustering

Load Balancer - Round-robin, least connections, weighted, IP hash
Health Checker - Node monitoring
Failover - Automatic failover
Service Discovery - Dynamic registration

Security (Enterprise-Grade)

WAF - Rule-based web application firewall
DDoS Protection - Traffic analysis, JS challenge, CAPTCHA
IP Blocking - Auto-ban, CIDR, geo-blocking, ASN filtering
Rate Limiting - Per-user, per-IP, quota management
CSRF Protection - Token-based form protection
Encryption - AES-256-GCM, HMAC support
Two-Factor Auth - TOTP (Google Authenticator)

Resilience

Circuit Breaker - Failure isolation
Retry Policy - Exponential backoff
Timeout Handler - Request timeouts
Bulkhead - Resource isolation

Core Framework

Clean & Minimal - No architectural confusion, zero garbage code
Backend-First - API-first design with JSON responses
Strict Routing - Separate route files for Web, API, Auth, and AI
Attribute Routing - PHP 8.5+ attributes for inline route definitions
Built-in UI System - Components, Pages, and Layouts
HTMX-Style Updates - Server-side rendering with dynamic DOM updates
ORM System - Model, QueryBuilder, and Builder
Soft Deletes - Automatic trash and restore functionality
Model Observers - Hook into model lifecycle events
Session & Auth - Complete authentication system
Authorization - Gates and Policies for fine-grained access control
Validation - 40+ built-in validation rules
Cache System - File, Array, APCu, Redis drivers
Queue System - Sync, Database, Redis drivers
Mail System - SMTP, Sendmail, Log drivers
File Storage - Local, S3, FTP drivers
Task Scheduler - Cron-like scheduling with fluent DSL
SSE Support - Native Server-Sent Events for real-time streaming
AI Integration - OpenAI, Anthropic, and Ollama support

CLI Tools

40+ Commands - make, remove, rename, migrate, seed, serve, test, lint

Requirements

PHP 8.5+
PDO Extension
OpenSSL Extension
cURL Extension
MBString Extension

Quick Start

# Create new project
composer create-project zanith/framework my-project
cd my-project

# Copy environment file
cp .env.example .env

# Run migrations
php zen migrate

# Start development server
php zen serve

# Check version
php zen -v

Quick Examples

Attribute-Based Routing (PHP 8.5+)

#[Prefix('/users')]
#[Middleware(['auth'])]
class UserController
{
    #[Get('/', name: 'users.index')]
    public function index(): Response
    {
        return view('users.index', ['users' => User::all()]);
    }

    #[Post('/', middleware: ['csrf'])]
    public function store(Request $request): Response
    {
        $user = User::create($request->validated());
        return redirect()->route('users.show', ['id' => $user->id]);
    }
}

Server-Sent Events (Real-Time Streaming)

#[Get('/chat/{roomId}/stream')]
public function stream(Request $request, int $roomId): StreamingResponse
{
    return new StreamingResponse(
        new SseStream(
            dataProvider: fn($lastId) => $this->getNewMessages($roomId, $lastId),
            pollInterval: 1,
            heartbeatInterval: 15,
            timeout: 1800
        )
    );
}

Soft Deletes

class User extends Model
{
    use SoftDeletes;
}

// Soft delete
$user->delete();

// Restore
$user->restore();

// Include trashed
$users = User::withTrashed()->get();

Model Observers

class PostObserver extends Observer
{
    public function creating(Post $post): void
    {
        $post->slug = str($post->title)->slug();
    }

    public function created(Post $post): void
    {
        event(new PostCreated($post));
    }
}

// Register
Post::observe(PostObserver::class);

Authorization (Gates & Policies)

// Define gate
Gate::define('update-post', function ($user, $post) {
    return $user->id === $post->user_id;
});

// Check gate
if (Gate::allows('update-post', $post)) {
    // User can update
}

// In controller
$this->authorizeAbility('update', $post);

Task Scheduler

// In Console Kernel
$scheduler->command('cache:clear')
    ->hourly()
    ->withoutOverlapping();

$scheduler->command('db:backup')
    ->dailyAt('2:00')
    ->onOneServer();

Directory Structure

zen/
├── app/
│   ├── Http/Controllers/
│   ├── Http/Middleware/
│   ├── Http/Requests/
│   ├── Models/
│   ├── Pages/
│   ├── Services/
│   ├── Providers/
│   └── UI/Components/
├── boot/           # Startup system
├── config/         # Configuration
├── core/           # Framework engine
├── database/       # Migrations, Seeders, Factories
├── routes/         # Route definitions
├── views/          # Views and layouts
└── zen            # CLI entry point

Routing

Routes are organized by domain in routes/:

Web.php - Public web routes (UI/pages)
Api.php - API routes (JSON)
Auth.php - Authentication routes
Ai.php - AI-related routes

CLI Commands

Make Commands

php zen make:model User
php zen make:controller UserController
php zen make:migration create_users_table
php zen make:seeder UserSeeder
php zen make:factory UserFactory
php zen make:layout dashboard --type=app
php zen make:middleware Auth
php zen make:request StoreUser
php zen make:job ProcessOrder
php zen make:event UserRegistered
php zen make:listener SendWelcomeEmail

Remove Commands

php zen remove:model User
php zen remove:controller UserController
php zen remove:migration create_users_table
php zen remove:seeder UserSeeder

Database Commands

php zen migrate
php zen migrate --rollback
php zen migrate --reset
php zen db:seed

Other Commands

php zen route:list
php zen cache:clear
php zen serve
php zen lint
php zen test

Configuration

Edit .env for configuration:

APP_NAME=Zenith Framework
APP_ENV=development
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=http://localhost

DB_CONNECTION=sqlite
DB_DATABASE=database/database.sqlite

CACHE_DRIVER=file
AI_API_KEY=your-api-key

Documentation

Official Website - 🌐 Complete documentation and guides
SYNTAX.md - 📖 Complete syntax guide - START HERE
CLI_COMMANDS.md - 🛠️ 118 CLI commands reference
SSR_GUIDE.md - ⚡ SSR engine guide
SSR_ISR_SSE_GUIDE.md - 🚀 SSR, ISR, and SSE comprehensive guide
GUIDE.md - Full tutorial
SECURITY.md - Security policy and best practices
SKILLS.md - Complete developer reference
AGENTS.md - AI agent instructions
CHANGELOG.md - Version history
CONTRIBUTING.md - Contribution guidelines

License

MIT License - see LICENSE

zenithframework / framework

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