Core PHP MVC Project

A lightweight MVC (Model-View-Controller) implementation in core PHP with modern practices and patterns inspired by Laravel.

Initial request was to build a simple MVC REST app written in Core PHP (without any persistent storage) in two hours. The project ultimately required approximately 20 hours to complete, resulting in a more comprehensive solution. Development was performed using VS Code and Claude Sonnet 3.5, providing a valuable learning experience. Xdebug integration was added to facilitate debugging in scenarios where automated tools were insufficient.

Features

• 🏗️ MVC Architecture
• 🔄 Router with support for dynamic routes
• 💾 In-memory storage with APCu caching
• ✅ Request validation
• 🔒 Advanced validation rules (required, email, unique, min age)
• 🎯 Resource transformation layer
• 🐳 Docker support with PHP-FPM and Nginx
• 🐞 Xdebug integration for debugging

Project Structure

plain_php/
├── docker/
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── nginx.conf
├── routes/
│   └── api.php
├── src/
│   ├── Controllers/
│   ├── Models/
│   ├── Requests/
│   ├── Resources/
├── docker-compose.yml
└── index.php

Requirements

• Docker
• Docker Compose
• PHP 8.2+
• APCu extension

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd plain_php

2. Start the Docker containers:

docker-compose up -d

3. The application will be available at:

http://localhost:8080

API Endpoints

Users

• GET /users - List all users
• GET /users/{id} - Get a specific user
• POST /users - Create a new user
• PUT /users/{id} - Update a specific user
• DELETE /users/{id} - Delete a user

Create User Example

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "firstName": "John",
    "lastName": "Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "dateOfBirth": "1990-01-01"
  }'

Validation Rules

User creation/update includes the following validations:

• firstName: Required, max 128 characters
• lastName: Optional, max 128 characters
• email: Required, must be valid email, must be unique
• dateOfBirth: Required, must be valid date, user must be 18+

Testing

Running Tests

Run the test suite using PHPUnit in the Docker container:

./vendor/bin/phpunit

To generate code coverage reports:

./vendor/bin/phpunit --coverage-text

Latest Code Coverage (as of September 6, 2025)

• Lines: 79.92% (207/259)
• Methods: 70.91% (39/55)
• Classes: 33.33% (4/12)

Resource Transformation

The API transforms user data through UserResource, adding computed properties:

{
    "data": {
        "id": 1,
        "firstName": "John",
        "lastName": "Doe",
        "email": "john@example.com",
        "dateOfBirth": "1990-01-01",
        "age": 35
    }
}

Debugging

The project includes Xdebug configuration for VS Code. To use:

1. Install PHP Debug extension in VS Code
2. Set breakpoints in your code
3. Start debugging (F5)

Development

Project Structure Details

• Controllers: Handle HTTP requests and responses
• Models: Manage data and business logic
• Requests: Handle input validation
• Resources: Transform data for API responses
• Routes: Define API endpoints

Key Design Patterns

• Singleton Pattern (StorageManager)
• Repository Pattern (Models)
• Strategy Pattern (Validation)
• Resource Transformation (API Resources)

License

MIT License