Backend
A domain covering business logic design, data persistence, and building APIs.
The Database Design Guide is the foundation here. Without being able to design tables, neither the API nor the class design layered on top takes shape. How to carve up classes in PHP is covered by the PHP Class Design Guide. Part 1 needs no Laravel experience; Part 2 moves on to designing models and service classes in Laravel.
Laravel is split across two guides. The Laravel API Development Guide gets you fluent with the framework itself, and A Practical Guide to Laravel × DDD × Clean Architecture layers DDD and clean architecture on top. The PayloadCMS Guide is a separate track for a Next.js-based headless CMS and reads independently of the rest.
| Guide | What it covers | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Database Design Guide | Requirements through E-R diagrams, table definitions, and SQL in one continuous flow, with a glossary and design templates | Junior engineers. Assumes programming basics but treats databases as new |
| PHP Class Design Guide (the Japanese original for now) | Encapsulation, single responsibility, inheritance versus composition, interfaces, and SOLID, through to class design in Laravel | Beginner to intermediate. Assumes PHP syntax; Part 2 also needs Laravel MVC and Eloquent basics |
| Laravel API Development Guide (the Japanese original for now) | Routing, Eloquent, validation, authn/authz, caching, queues, and production operations. Does not cover Blade or other frontend features | Beginner to intermediate. Assumes PHP syntax and classes, plus terminal and Composer use |
| A Practical Guide to Laravel × DDD × Clean Architecture | Value objects, entities, aggregates, and repositories, plus implementation patterns, transactions, and testing in Laravel | Intermediate. Assumes PHP syntax, database basics, and HTTP/JSON. No Laravel experience needed; aimed at SPA developers |
| PayloadCMS Guide | The whole picture of a Next.js-native headless CMS: data modeling, authn/authz, Next.js integration, and operations | Intermediate. Requires TypeScript and Next.js App Router basics |
Topics planned for the future
- API design — REST / GraphQL, endpoint design, error handling
- General authentication and authorization — sessions, JWT, OAuth (the database angle is already covered in the Database Design Guide)