A repository (often shortened to "repo") is a directory or storage space where your project’s source code, configuration files, documentation, and version history are stored. It helps you track changes, collaborate with others, and manage your code over time.
π Versioning: Tools like Git allow you to roll back changes, compare versions, and develop new features in separate branches.
π€ Collaboration: Developers can work together, submit pull requests, open issues, and review each other’s code.
π Remote repositories: Online platforms like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket host repositories for teams to collaborate globally.
Example:
git clone https://github.com/username/my-project.git
A repository is a collection of software packages used by a package manager (like apt
, yum
, or pip
) to install or update programs.
Example:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install firefox
Outside of IT, a repository can be any kind of database or archive — for example, a digital library of research papers or datasets.
OpenID Connect (OIDC) is an authentication protocol built on top of OAuth 2.0. It allows clients (like web or mobile apps) to verify the identity of a user who logs in via an external identity provider (IdP) — such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc.
OAuth 2.0 → handles authorization (access to resources)
OpenID Connect → handles authentication (who is the user?)
User clicks "Login with Google"
Your app redirects the user to Google’s login page
After successful login, Google redirects back with an ID token
Your app validates this JWT token
You now know who the user is — verified by Google
The ID token is a JSON Web Token (JWT) containing user identity data, like:
{
"iss": "https://accounts.google.com",
"sub": "1234567890",
"name": "John Doe",
"email": "john@example.com",
"iat": 1650000000,
"exp": 1650003600
}
iss
= issuer (e.g. Google)
sub
= user ID
email
, name
= user info
iat
, exp
= issued at / expiration
“Login with Google/Microsoft/Apple”
Single Sign-On (SSO) in organizations
Centralized user identity (Keycloak, Auth0, Azure AD)
OAuth APIs that require identity verification
Component | Description |
---|---|
Relying Party | Your app (requests login) |
Identity Provider | External login provider (e.g. Google) |
ID Token | JWT containing the user’s identity |
UserInfo Endpoint | (Optional) endpoint for additional user data |
PEST is a modern testing framework for PHP that focuses on clean syntax, readability, and developer experience. It builds on PHPUnit but provides a much more expressive and minimalistic interface.
π PEST = "PHP Testing for Humans"
It’s designed for developers who want to write fast, readable, and elegant tests — with less boilerplate.
PEST is built on top of PHPUnit, but it:
Provides a cleaner, simpler syntax
Removes unnecessary structure
Encourages a functional, behavior-driven style
Still supports traditional PHPUnit classes if needed
PHPUnit:
class UserTest extends TestCase
{
public function test_user_has_name()
{
$user = new User('John');
$this->assertEquals('John', $user->name);
}
}
PEST:
it('has a name', function () {
$user = new User('John');
expect($user->name)->toBe('John');
});
π Much shorter and easier to read — especially when writing many tests.
β Elegant, expressive syntax (inspired by Jest/Mocha)
π§ͺ Supports unit, feature, API, and browser-based testing
π§± Data-driven testing via with([...])
𧬠Test hooks like beforeEach()
/ afterEach()
π¨ Fully extensible with plugins and custom expectations
π Fully compatible with PHPUnit — you can run both side by side
In a Laravel or Composer project:
composer require pestphp/pest --dev
php artisan pest:install # for Laravel projects
Then run tests:
./vendor/bin/pest
PEST is ideal if you:
Want to write tests that are fun and easy to maintain
Prefer clean, modern syntax
Already use PHPUnit but want a better experience
π‘ Many Laravel developers are adopting PEST because it integrates seamlessly with Laravel and truly makes testing feel "human" — just like its slogan says.
Deployer is an open-source deployment tool for PHP projects — specifically designed to automate, standardize, and securely deploy applications like Laravel, Symfony, Magento, WordPress, or any custom PHP apps.
It’s a CLI tool, written in PHP.
You define your deployment process in a deploy.php
configuration file with clearly defined tasks.
It supports zero-downtime deployment using symbolic links (symlinks).
It supports multi-environment deployments (e.g., staging, production).
Install Deployer via Composer:
composer require deployer/deployer --dev
Generate a config template:
vendor/bin/dep init
Configure deploy.php
, e.g., for Laravel:
host('my-server.com')
->set('deploy_path', '/var/www/myproject')
->set('branch', 'main');
task('deploy', [
'deploy:prepare',
'deploy:vendors',
'artisan:migrate',
'deploy:publish',
]);
Deploy your app:
vendor/bin/dep deploy production
Deployer:
Connects to the server via SSH
Clones your Git repo into a new release directory
Installs Composer dependencies
Runs custom tasks (e.g., php artisan migrate
)
Updates the symlink to point to the new release (current
)
Removes old releases if configured
Benefit | Description |
---|---|
π Fast & scriptable | Fully CLI-driven |
π Rollback support | Instantly roll back to previous working release |
βοΈ Highly customizable | Define your own tasks, hooks, conditions |
π§© Presets available | Laravel, Symfony, WordPress, etc. |
π Secure by default | Uses SSH — no FTP needed |
RoadRunner is a high-performance PHP application server developed by Spiral Scout. It serves as a replacement for traditional PHP-FPM (FastCGI Process Manager) and offers a major performance boost by keeping your PHP application running persistently — especially useful with frameworks like Laravel or Symfony.
PHP scripts are not reloaded on every request. Instead, they run continuously in persistent worker processes (similar to Node.js or Swoole).
This eliminates the need to re-bootstrap the framework on every request — resulting in significantly faster response times than with PHP-FPM.
RoadRunner is written in the programming language Go, which provides high concurrency, easy deployment, and great stability.
Native HTTP server (with HTTPS, Gzip, CORS, etc.)
PSR-7 and PSR-15 middleware support
Supports:
Hot reload support with a watch plugin
RoadRunner starts PHP worker processes.
These workers load your full framework bootstrap once.
Incoming HTTP or gRPC requests are forwarded to the PHP workers.
The response is returned through the Go layer — fast and concurrent.
Laravel + RoadRunner (instead of Laravel + PHP-FPM)
High-traffic applications and APIs
Microservices
Real-time apps (e.g., using WebSockets)
Low-latency, serverless-like services
Feature | PHP-FPM | RoadRunner |
---|---|---|
Bootstraps per request | Yes | No (persistent workers) |
Speed | Good | Excellent |
WebSocket support | No | Yes |
gRPC support | No | Yes |
Language | C | Go |
Google Apps Script is a cloud-based scripting language developed by Google, based on JavaScript. It allows you to automate tasks, extend functionality, and connect various Google Workspace apps like Google Sheets, Docs, Gmail, Calendar, and more.
Automatically format, filter, or sync data in Google Sheets.
Send, organize, or analyze emails in Gmail.
Automatically process responses from Google Forms.
Create and manage events in Google Calendar.
Build custom menus, dialogs, and sidebars in Google apps.
Develop web apps or custom APIs that integrate with Google services.
Free to use (with a Google account).
Runs entirely in the cloud—no setup or hosting required.
Seamless integration with Google Workspace.
Well-documented with many examples and tutorials.
function fillColumn() {
const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet().getActiveSheet();
const range = sheet.getRange("A1:A10");
for (let i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
range.getCell(i, 1).setValue("Row " + i);
}
}
Docker Compose is a tool that lets you define and run multi-container Docker applications using a single configuration file. Instead of starting each container manually via the Docker CLI, you can describe all your services (like a web app, database, cache, etc.) in a docker-compose.yml
file and run everything with a single command.
Docker Compose = Project config + Multiple containers + One command to run it all
docker-compose.yml
version: '3.9'
services:
web:
build: .
ports:
- "5000:5000"
volumes:
- .:/code
redis:
image: "redis:alpine"
This file:
Builds and runs a local web app container
Starts a Redis container from the official image
Automatically networks the two containers
docker-compose up # Start all services in the foreground
docker-compose up -d # Start in detached (background) mode
docker-compose down # Stop and remove containers, networks, etc.
β
Easy setup for multi-service applications
β
Version-controlled config (great for Git)
β
Reproducible development environments
β
Simple startup/shutdown of entire stacks
Local development with multiple services (e.g., web app + DB)
Integration testing with full stack
Simple deployment workflows (e.g., via CI/CD)
Contentful is a headless content management system (headless CMS). It allows businesses to manage content centrally and deliver it flexibly to various channels—such as websites, apps, or digital displays—via APIs.
Traditional CMS platforms (like WordPress) handle both content management and content presentation (e.g., rendering on a website). A headless CMS separates the content backend from the presentation frontend—hence the term “headless,” as the “head” (the frontend) is removed.
Flexible content modeling: You can define your own content types (e.g., blog posts, products, testimonials) with customizable fields.
Multi-language support: Well-suited for managing multilingual content.
Cloud-based: No server maintenance needed.
Integration-friendly: Works well with tools like React, Vue, Next.js, Shopify, SAP, etc.
Companies with multiple delivery channels (websites, apps, smartwatches, etc.)
Large brands with global content needs
Developer teams seeking a scalable and flexible CMS
Storyblok is a user-friendly, headless Content Management System (CMS) that helps developers and marketing teams create, manage, and publish content quickly and efficiently. It offers a visual editing interface for real-time content design and is flexible with various frameworks and platforms. Its API-first architecture allows content to be delivered to any digital platform, making it ideal for modern web and app development.
Shopware is a modular e-commerce system from Germany that allows you to create and manage online stores. It’s designed for both small retailers and large enterprises, known for its flexibility, scalability, and modern technology.
Developer: Shopware AG (founded in 2000 in Germany)
Technology: PHP, Symfony framework, API-first approach
Current Version: Shopware 6 (since 2019)
Open Source: Yes, with paid extensions available
Headless Ready: Yes, supports headless commerce via APIs
Product Management: Variants, tier pricing, media, SEO tools
Sales Channels: Web shop, POS, social media, marketplaces
Content Management: Built-in CMS ("Shopping Experiences")
Payments & Shipping: Many integrations (e.g. PayPal, Klarna)
Multilingual & Multi-Currency Support
B2B & B2C capabilities
App System & API for custom extensions
Startups (free Community Edition available)
SMEs and mid-sized businesses
Enterprise clients with complex needs
Very popular in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
Made in Germany → GDPR-compliant
Highly customizable
Active ecosystem & community
Scalable for growing businesses