Core Lifecycle Commands

LaraKube provides a set of high-level commands to manage your application's lifecycle from initial creation to production deployment.

new {name}

The starting point for every new masterpiece. LaraKube downloads a specialized installer image and scaffolds your entire Kubernetes environment in one go.

• Fast Track: Use --fast to skip the LaraKube wizard and use "ideal" high-performance defaults (MySQL, Redis, Reverb, etc.).
• Passthrough: Any extra native Laravel flags (e.g. --react, --pest) are automatically forwarded to the installer.
• Architecture-by-Flag: Providing any architectural flags will intelligently skip the wizard and use your selections.

🏗 Architectural Flags

Category	Flags	Description
Servers	--frankenphp, --nginx, --apache	Choose your server foundation (FrankenPHP is recommended).
Blueprints	--filament, --statamic	Select a specialized foundation (Defaults to standard Laravel).
Databases	--mysql, --postgres, --mariadb, --sqlite, --redis	Define your persistence and caching layers.
Storage	--minio, --seaweedfs, --garage	Enable S3-compatible object storage.
Features	--horizon, --reverb, --meilisearch, --typesense, --queue, --schedule, --mailpit	Add specialized Laravel "Lego bricks" to your cluster.

• Example: larakube new my-app --frankenphp --mysql --redis --reverb --horizon

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init

Already have a project? init gracefully prepares your existing Laravel application for its Kubernetes debut by generating all necessary manifests and Dockerfiles.

up {environment}

The "Launch" button.

• Automated Workflow: By default, LaraKube will automatically run migrations and perform a connectivity smoke test.
• Automation Flags: Use --migrate, --no-test, or --no-dashboard to skip interactive prompts in CI or automated scripts.
• Deduplicated Manifests: LaraKube uses a unique single-pass engine to ensure your Kubernetes resources are never registered twice.

status {environment}

The "Health Check" button. Displays a professional, color-coded table of all services in your cluster.

• Visual Feedback: Shows 🟢 Ready for healthy services and 🔴 Not Ready for issues.
• Metrics: Quickly see container restarts and pod age to identify unstable services.

stop {environment}

The "Safe Pause" button. Scales all application and database pods to 0.

• Data Safety: Your data remains perfectly safe in the cluster volumes (PVCs).
• Stability: Use this instead of down for daily development to avoid volume permission issues.
• Quick Resume: Use larakube start to bring your environment back to life in seconds.

start {environment}

The "Resume" button. Scales your pods back to their original replica counts.

• Instant Resume: Your app and databases will pick up exactly where they left off.

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⚠️ Destructive Commands

LaraKube includes professional safety gates for destructive actions. Unless you provide the --force flag, you will be required to type the project name to confirm.

down {environment}

The "Cleanup" tool. Safely removes the environment namespace and its associated internal cluster volumes.

• Safety Gate: Requires typing the project name to confirm.
• What stays: Your local Docker images and project files remain intact.
• When to use: Use this when you are finished with a feature branch or project and want to free up cluster resources.

reset {environment}

The "Factory Reset" tool. Forcefully wipes all cluster state, local volume data, and can optionally delete your Docker images.

• Safety Gate: Requires typing the project name to confirm.
• Options: Use --image to also delete the local Docker image from your machine.
• When to use: Use this as a last resort if your environment is corrupted or if you want an absolute fresh start.

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deploy {environment}

The "Remote Launch" button. Specifically for non-local environments (staging, production).

• Checks your cluster context and builds production images.
• Injects environment-specific secrets.
• Applies production-hardened overlays.