Filament v5

Build powerful Laravel admin panels using Filament v5's server-driven UI with Schemas and Livewire v4 reactivity.

Overview

Filament v5 is a Laravel admin panel framework that provides complete CRUD interfaces, forms, tables, and dashboard components through a declarative PHP API. Built on Livewire v4, it offers real-time reactivity without writing JavaScript.

Key Concepts

• PanelProvider: Central configuration class defining your admin panel
• Resources: Automatic CRUD interfaces for Eloquent models
• Schemas: Declarative UI components (forms, tables, infolists)
• Actions: Interactive buttons with modals and backend logic
• Widgets: Dashboard components for data visualization

System Requirements

• Laravel 11.28+
• PHP 8.2+
• Livewire v4
• Node.js 18+
• Tailwind CSS v4.1+

Installation

Install Filament via Composer and scaffold a panel:

composer require filament/filament:"^5.0" -W
php artisan filament:install --scaffold
npm install && npm run dev
php artisan make:filament-user

This creates the panel provider, directory structure, and assets needed to start building.

Directory Structure

app/
  Filament/
    Resources/          # CRUD resources with forms and tables
    Pages/              # Custom pages
    Widgets/            # Dashboard widgets
  Providers/
    Filament/
      AdminPanelProvider.php

Core Concepts

Panel Configuration

The PanelProvider is the entry point for your admin panel. It configures:

• Identity: ID, path, branding (name, logo, colors)
• Discovery: Auto-discovery of resources, pages, and widgets
• Middleware: Session, authentication, and custom middleware
• Tenancy: Multi-tenant configuration for SaaS applications

Resources

Resources provide complete CRUD interfaces through:

• Forms: Schema-based forms with 20+ field types (TextInput, Select, DatePicker, FileUpload, RichEditor, etc.)
• Tables: Data tables with columns, filters, sorting, and actions
• Pages: Automatic generation of List, Create, Edit, and View pages
• Relations: Relation managers for handling model relationships

Forms

Forms use a schema-based approach where you declare fields as PHP objects:

• Input Fields: Text, select, checkbox, toggle, date/time pickers
• Media: File and image uploads with validation
• Complex Fields: Rich text editors, repeaters, builders
• Layout: Grids, sections, tabs, and wizards
• Validation: Built-in Laravel validation rules

Tables

Tables display data with extensive customization:

• Columns: Text, badges, icons, images, colors
• Filters: Select, ternary, and custom filter logic
• Actions: Per-row actions, bulk actions, header actions
• Features: Search, sorting, pagination, grouping

Actions

Actions are interactive buttons that trigger:

• Modals: Form dialogs for data collection
• Confirmation: Destructive action confirmation
• Wizards: Multi-step processes
• Notifications: User feedback after completion

Widgets

Dashboard widgets include:

• Stats Overview: Metric cards with trends and sparklines
• Charts: Line, bar, pie charts using Chart.js
• Tables: Data tables for recent records

Testing

Filament uses Pest PHP with Livewire testing helpers:

• Page Testing: List, create, edit, view page functionality
• Form Testing: Validation, state management, submission
• Table Testing: Search, filters, sorting, actions
• Authorization Testing: Access control and permissions

Authorization

Access control through:

• Panel Access: FilamentUser contract for panel-level access
• Policies: Laravel policies for resource-level permissions
• Field Visibility: Show/hide fields based on user roles
• Multi-Tenancy: Tenant isolation for SaaS applications

Architecture Patterns

Server-Driven UI

Filament uses a server-driven approach where the backend defines the UI structure through schemas. The PHP code describes forms, tables, and layouts which Filament renders as Livewire components.

Schema System

Schemas are PHP configuration objects that define:

• Form fields and their validation rules
• Table columns and their formatting
• Layout containers (grids, sections, tabs)
• Action definitions and their behavior

Livewire Integration

All components mount as Livewire components, providing:

• Real-time reactivity without page reloads
• Automatic state management
• Event handling and AJAX updates
• Form validation with instant feedback

Resource-First Design

The framework encourages a resource-first approach:

1. Define your Eloquent models
2. Create resources that map to those models
3. Configure forms and tables for each resource
4. Add actions and widgets as needed

Command Reference

Detailed Documentation

Reference Guides

Comprehensive documentation for each component:

• Forms - All form components, validation rules, layouts, and conditional logic
• Tables - Column types, filters, actions, and table configuration
• Resources - CRUD resources, relation managers, infolists, and global search
• Infolists - Read-only data display components (TextEntry, ImageEntry, IconEntry)
• Widgets - Stats overview, charts, and table widgets
• Actions - Modal actions, notifications, action groups, and wizards
• Notifications - Flash messages, database, and broadcast notifications
• Schemas - Schema system, layouts, and component organization
• Testing - Pest testing patterns for resources, forms, tables, and authorization
• Authorization - Access control, policies, roles, and multi-tenancy

Code Examples

See examples.md for complete working code examples including:

• Complete resource implementations
• Form configurations
• Table setups
• Widget configurations
• Test suites
• Authorization patterns

Best Practices

Performance

• Use getEloquentQuery() to eager load relationships and prevent N+1 queries
• Enable component caching in production with filament:cache-components
• Limit pagination options and use deferred loading for large datasets
• Cache expensive calculations in widgets

Security

• Always implement the FilamentUser contract for panel access control
• Use Laravel policies for resource-level authorization
• Validate all input with appropriate form rules
• Never skip authorization in production environments
• Implement proper tenant isolation for multi-tenant applications

Code Organization

• Organize by feature: app/Filament/Admin/Resources/
• Extract complex forms and tables to separate classes
• Create reusable form components for common patterns
• Keep resources focused on single responsibility
• Use dedicated pages for non-CRUD functionality

Testing

• Test all CRUD operations for each resource
• Validate form validation rules with multiple scenarios
• Test table features: search, filters, sorting, actions
• Verify authorization with different user roles
• Use factories to create realistic test data

When to Use Filament

Filament is ideal for:

• Admin Panels: Back-office interfaces for managing application data
• CMS: Content management systems with rich editing capabilities
• CRM: Customer relationship management tools
• E-commerce: Product, order, and inventory management
• SaaS Applications: Multi-tenant admin interfaces
• Internal Tools: Business process management and data entry

Additional Resources

• Official Documentation
• GitHub Repository
• Live Demo
• Discord Community

Version: 1.0.0
License: MIT
Compatibility: Laravel 11+, PHP 8.2+, Livewire v4