Requirements

System Requirements

• PHP: ^8.5
• Node.js: v26.x
• pnpm: 12.x (CI’s version; package.json accepts 11.0+)
• PostgreSQL: 16+
• Redis: 7+, for the queue (QUEUE_CONNECTION=redis), which php artisan db:rebuild also clears
• S3-compatible object storage: the default filesystem disk and Livewire’s temporary uploads both use s3 (RustFS locally)

PHP Extensions

The following PHP extensions are required to satisfy application dependencies:

ext-ctype       ext-curl        ext-dom         ext-fileinfo
ext-filter      ext-hash        ext-iconv       ext-intl
ext-json        ext-libxml      ext-mbstring    ext-openssl
ext-pcre        ext-pdo         ext-pdo_pgsql   ext-phar
ext-redis       ext-reflection  ext-session     ext-simplexml
ext-sodium      ext-tokenizer   ext-xml         ext-xmlreader
ext-xmlwriter   ext-zip

ext-redis is needed because REDIS_CLIENT defaults to phpredis; the predis package is not installed.

Database Requirements

PostgreSQL Only

PostgreSQL 16+ is the only officially supported database driver for this project. Further documentation will assume PostgreSQL is in use.

The application has not been tested with MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, or other database engines. Key limitations with other databases:

• Schema Compatibility - Certain migrations may use PostgreSQL-specific features
• Native Functions - Filament charts and analytics widgets rely on PostgreSQL functions

If you choose to use a different database driver, expect to modify migrations, seeders, and dashboard widgets.

Local Development Setup

Laravel Herd

Recommended

Laravel Herd provides an all-in-one development environment for macOS and Windows:

• PHP 8.5+ with extension management
• Nginx web server
• PostgreSQL, Redis, and RustFS services (Herd Pro)
• Automatic site provisioning

Laravel Valet

Alternative

Laravel Valet is a lightweight macOS environment requiring manual installation of PHP, PostgreSQL, Redis, S3-compatible storage, and other dependencies.

Suitable as an alternative if you cannot use Laravel Herd.

Northwestern-Specific Requirements

API Access Required

Access to Northwestern integrations requires approval and credentials through the API Service Registry.

You’ll need access to the following integrations:

WebSSO / Entra ID

SSO configuration for Northwestern authentication. Depending on your authentication strategy, you’ll need either Entra ID credentials (via Azure application registration) or an Online Passport API key (via the API Service Registry).

Required for user authentication via NetID.

Directory Search

Service responsible for user lookups, demographic sync, and organizational data.

Required for Northwestern user provisioning.

EventHub

Webhook configuration and HMAC shared secret for event subscriptions.

Optional - Only needed if consuming or publishing events.

NetID Updates Event Message

Subscription to the etidentity.ldap.netid.term topic for receiving NetID lifecycle events.

Optional - Enables automatic role removal when users leave Northwestern. Requires EventHub access.