Turn PHP Smart.Framework into a focused, high‑performance stack by choosing the right combination of modules for UI, data, search, NLP, maps and more.
What is PHP Smart.Framework?
PHP Smart.Framework is a compact, high‑performance PHP / JavaScript framework for building modern web applications and APIs. It combines a middleware and MVC‑style architecture with a built‑in JavaScript framework, advanced caching, a web profiler and first‑class support for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB, Redis and Solr.
Instead of forcing you into a huge, monolithic stack, Smart.Framework gives you a fast core and a curated ecosystem of Smart.Framework.Modules you can plug in only when you need extra capabilities: templating engines, mapping, NLP, maps, workflow tooling, media handling and more. That is where this page comes in – as an independent, opinionated guide to the most important modules and how to combine them.
How the Smart.Framework modular architecture works
Smart.Framework separates the core runtime from additional modules so that you keep performance and have clear control over what runs in production. In practice:
- The core provides routing, controllers, views, caching, database connectors, the web profiler and the basic JavaScript framework.
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Modules live under
smart-framework/modules/and extend the framework with ORMs, templating engines, UI toolkits, NLP helpers, mapping utilities, documentation generators and more. - Vendor libraries and extra libs add integrations with tools like Twig, Solr or external NLP services with the same autoloading conventions.
As a developer you start with a lean runtime and then assemble a focused stack by adding only the modules that match your project profile – instead of dragging along unused dependencies. This is ideal when you care deeply about performance, resource usage and long‑term maintainability.
Overview of the Smart.Framework module ecosystem
Smart.Framework.Modules is organised around what you want to achieve: user interfaces, data access, search, NLP, maps, developer tooling and more. The list below focuses on the most useful families of modules and how they typically show up in real projects.
1. UI & front‑end modules
UI modules make it easy to ship usable interfaces quickly while staying inside the Smart.Framework ecosystem.
Bundles web fonts, icon fonts and CAPTCHA fonts so your applications have consistent typography and iconography without extra configuration. Perfect for dashboards and admin panels.
Integrates the popular Bootstrap and UIkit toolkits into Smart.Framework, giving you grid systems, components and responsive utilities out of the box. Ideal for app UIs and marketing pages.
Classic jQuery UI widgets and lightweight W3‑style components for projects that value stability and simplicity over bleeding‑edge front‑end stacks.
A collection of reusable JavaScript components aligned with Smart.Framework conventions – from modal windows to interactive widgets – so you can keep business logic focused in PHP.
2. Data, integration & infrastructure modules
These modules handle data access, integrations and performance‑critical infrastructure concerns.
Choice of ORM‑style access with Redbean or a lightweight query builder via Medoo. Both work with PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite, helping you write safer, more expressive database code.
Connect your application to Apache Solr for full‑text search and analytics, or use extended PostgreSQL helpers for advanced SQL features such as window functions and JSON operations.
Cache map tiles and geodata from OpenStreetMap‑style services and enrich sessions with geolocation data using GeoIP lookups – perfect for dashboards, location‑aware apps and logistics tools.
Modern HTTP client utilities with proxy support plus a curated bundle of extra libraries (Smart Extra Libs) with their own autoloader, making it easy to consume APIs and external services.
3. Templating engines & view layer modules
Smart.Framework supports multiple templating engines so teams can reuse existing skills and design systems.
Twist delivers a secure template language with a Twig‑like grammar, while Twig integration lets Symfony‑style templates run natively inside Smart.Framework. Both encourage clean, maintainable view code.
If your team comes from a TYPO3 background or needs advanced layout features, the Fluid integration offers familiar syntax. TPL helpers unify templating across MarkersTPL and the extra engines.
4. Language, text & NLP modules
For content‑heavy or analytics‑oriented applications, Smart.Framework provides modules that bring basic NLP capabilities into your stack.
Identify the language of incoming text using n‑gram models or connect to an external language‑identification service. Helpful for international apps, routing content or running language‑specific pipelines.
Extract keywords, normalise word forms and build simple semantic features without having to deploy a heavy‑weight machine‑learning stack. Great for search tuning and content analytics.
Converts HTML into Markdown so you can normalise external content, build editing workflows or store content in a format that is easier to diff and version‑control.
5. Media, documents & visualisation modules
When your application needs to generate documents, labels or charts, these modules keep everything inside the PHP runtime.
Manage media galleries, then transform content into branded PDFs – from tickets and reports to invoices and certificates – without depending on third‑party SaaS.
Generate 1D and 2D barcodes (including QR, Aztec, DataMatrix, EAN/UPC and Code 128/39/93) and visualise metrics with server‑side charts for dashboards and reporting.
6. Developer tooling & workflow modules
Some modules focus on helping your team document, manage and iterate on Smart.Framework projects.
Generate live documentation for your PHP and JavaScript code and build workflow‑style UIs so teams can track and automate internal processes without leaving the main application.
Manage Subversion repositories through a web interface and reuse business‑oriented widgets (Xtra Bizz, Vanilla Widgets) to prototype CRUD apps and internal tools quickly.
7. Security, validation & utility modules
Finally, there are modules that support cross‑cutting concerns such as security and validation.
Protect forms with image CAPTCHAs and validate SVG assets to reduce the risk of injection attacks or unsafe inline SVGs in user‑generated content.
Render code snippets with syntax highlighting and centralise your translations – backed by a dedicated PostgreSQL adapter – to keep multilingual projects organised.
How to choose Smart.Framework modules for your project
A practical way to work with Smart.Framework is to think in project profiles instead of individual features. The profiles below give you starter combinations that you can tune to your needs.
Profile A – Content‑rich site or documentation hub
Focus on fast content delivery, readable templates and solid navigation.
- UI Bootstrap or UI Uikit + UI Fonts for a clear, responsive layout.
- Twig or Twist templating engine for clean view logic.
- MediaGallery for screenshots and diagrams.
- HTML‑to‑Markdown and Language Detection for multilingual content workflows.
- Captcha and Validate SVG for safe, spam‑resistant forms and assets.
Profile B – SaaS dashboard or analytics product
You need strong data handling and visual feedback for users.
- Redbean ORM or PDO Medoo DBAL with extended PostgreSQL helpers.
- Solr connector for search and advanced filtering.
- Charts for PHP to visualise KPIs and reports.
- Maps Cache and GeoIP for location‑aware analytics.
- PDF Generator and Barcodes for exports, labels and offline workflows.
Profile C – Geo‑aware or logistics application
Optimise routes, locations and inventory with map‑driven UI.
- Maps Cache for smooth, cached map tiles.
- GeoIP for basic geolocation and regional logic.
- Charts for PHP for route statistics and utilisation.
- MediaGallery & PDF Generator for manifests and driver packs.
- HTTP client for integrations with telematics and external APIs.
Profile D – Content & NLP‑driven product
Deliver search, recommendations or insights from text.
- Language Detection and LangID client for auto‑detecting language.
- Lemmatizer, RAKE and Stemmer for basic semantic features.
- Solr connector for indexed search across articles or documents.
- Charts for PHP to show usage and topic trends.
- HTML‑to‑Markdown for clean content storage and processing.
Profile E – Internal tools and developer platforms
Build tools that keep your engineering and business teams productive.
- Documentor for always‑up‑to‑date code documentation.
- Workflow Components and business widgets for process automation.
- SVN Manager if you maintain legacy Subversion repositories.
- UI Bootstrap or UIkit for internal dashboards and admin panels.
- Captcha, Validate SVG and syntax highlighting for safe, developer‑friendly UI.
Installing Smart.Framework modules step by step
Once you have a clear idea of the modules you need, installation is straightforward. The process below assumes that your Smart.Framework core is already set up and serving a basic application.
- Install or update the core framework. Ensure you are on a recent Smart.Framework version that supports your PHP runtime (typically PHP 8.x). Keep the core repository clean and under version control.
- Review licenses. Smart.Framework.Modules can be used under BSD or GPLv3, while some extra app modules are GPLv3 only. Make sure your chosen combination is compatible with your project’s licensing strategy.
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Copy the module directories.
Place the required modules (for example
mod-ui-bootstrap,mod-db-orm-redbean,mod-nlp-rake) undersmart-framework/modules/. -
Enable extra libraries and vendors.
In your project bootstrap, include the autoloaders for Smart Extra Libs and vendor
libraries so their classes are available:
require 'modules/smart-extra-libs/autoload.php';and, where applicable,require 'modules/vendor/autoload.php';. - Configure each module. Set database credentials, cache paths, Solr hosts, API endpoints and other settings in the module configuration files. Keep secrets out of version control wherever possible.
- Smoke‑test in a dedicated environment. Use the Smart.Framework web profiler and demo routes to confirm that each module behaves as expected before you open it up to real users or production load.
Treat your module set‑up like any other critical infrastructure: automate the installation steps, write health checks and keep a changelog of which modules and versions are enabled in each environment.
Smart.Framework vs mainstream PHP frameworks
Smart.Framework will not replace Laravel or Symfony for every project – and that is exactly its strength. It targets teams that want a lean, high‑performance full‑stack framework with a carefully curated module ecosystem.
- Performance‑first design. Smart.Framework is optimised for speed and low memory usage, which makes it attractive for applications with tight latency or resource budgets.
- Batteries included, without bloat. Modules for maps, NLP, barcodes, PDF generation and documentation live under one umbrella, without pulling in a huge number of third‑party dependencies.
- Predictable long‑term ownership. By understanding the modules you adopt, you keep the ability to audit, update and swap components without fighting deep magic or over‑abstracted layers.
If your organisation already standardises on Laravel or Symfony and benefits from their vast ecosystems, keep using them. Reach for Smart.Framework when you want a compact stack, strict control over performance, or when you are modernising an existing Smart.Framework codebase and want to make the most of its modules.
How PHPTrends helps teams using Smart.Framework
PHPTrends began as a radar of fast‑growing PHP libraries and frameworks. Today it is evolving into a developer‑first publication on PHP trends, frameworks and AI for developers – still with the same mission: turn noise into clear, actionable insight.
If you are evaluating Smart.Framework alongside other stacks, PHPTrends can help you:
- Understand which frameworks and libraries are gaining traction over time.
- See how teams combine PHP with AI tooling, search engines, clouds and observability.
- Discover practical architectures, migration strategies and module combinations.
Keep this page bookmarked as your reference for Smart.Framework modules and use it as a starting point for internal documentation, onboarding and architecture decisions.
Smart.Framework modules – frequently asked questions
What is Smart.Framework mainly used for?
Smart.Framework is primarily used for high‑performance web applications and APIs that need a compact but full‑stack PHP / JavaScript environment. Teams adopt it when they want precise control over performance, a predictable module ecosystem and a framework that ships with built‑in tooling for caching, debugging, search, maps and more – without depending on a large number of external packages.
How do I decide which Smart.Framework modules to enable?
Start from your project profile rather than from individual modules. For example, a SaaS dashboard typically needs a database module (Redbean ORM or Medoo DBAL), a search module (Solr connector), charts, authentication helpers and one UI toolkit. A content‑heavy site, on the other hand, benefits more from templating engines, media handling, PDF generation and language‑related modules. Use the profiles on this page as a checklist and add modules gradually while monitoring performance.
Is Smart.Framework suitable for new PHP projects today?
Yes – if your team values performance, control and a smaller footprint, Smart.Framework is a strong option for new projects. It runs on modern PHP versions, supports contemporary databases and search engines, and its module ecosystem covers most needs of data‑driven applications. If your priority is an enormous ecosystem of third‑party packages and tutorials, Laravel or Symfony may be more convenient, but for lean, long‑lived systems Smart.Framework remains a compelling choice.
Which templating engine should I use with Smart.Framework?
If your team already has experience with Twig or TYPO3 Fluid, choosing that same engine will speed up onboarding and reuse existing templates. If you prefer a slimmer, framework‑native option, Twist provides a secure, Twig‑style syntax optimised for Smart.Framework. All engines integrate cleanly with the core routing and caching features, so the best choice is usually the one that matches your team’s skills and existing design systems.
Does Smart.Framework work well with modern cloud hosting?
Smart.Framework is well‑suited to modern cloud deployments thanks to its lightweight runtime and modular design. You can containerise the core framework, configure modules for cloud‑native services (managed PostgreSQL, Redis, Solr, object storage) and monitor performance through the Web Profiler. Because the framework is opinionated but not bloated, it works particularly well in environments where cold‑start times and memory constraints matter.