Introduction

#What are Plugins?

Plugins extend NativePHP for Mobile with native functionality. Need on-device ML, Bluetooth, or a custom hardware integration? Plugins let you add these capabilities without forking the core package.

A plugin is a Composer package that bundles:

PHP code — Facades, events, and service providers you use in Laravel
Native code — Swift (iOS) and Kotlin (Android) implementations
A manifest — Declares what the plugin provides and needs

When you build your app, NativePHP compiles registered plugins' native code into your app.

#Why Plugins?

All native functionality in NativePHP Mobile comes through plugins — including official plugins for camera, biometrics, push notifications, and more. This architecture means:

Official plugins provide core functionality and serve as reference implementations
Community plugins extend the platform with new capabilities
Your own plugins let you integrate proprietary SDKs or custom native code

Install a plugin and its native features become available to your PHP code through a simple facade.

#What Plugins Can Do

Plugins have full access to native platform capabilities:

Bridge functions — Call Swift/Kotlin code from PHP and get results back
Events — Dispatch events from native code to your Livewire components
Permissions — Declare required permissions (camera, location, etc.)
Dependencies — Include native libraries via Gradle, CocoaPods, or Swift Package Manager
Custom repositories — Use private Maven repos for enterprise SDKs
Android components — Register Activities, Services, Receivers, and Content Providers
Assets — Bundle ML models, configuration files, and other resources
Lifecycle hooks — Run code at build time to download models, validate config, etc.
Secrets — Declare required environment variables with validation

#Plugin Architecture

Plugins follow the same patterns as NativePHP's core:

Copied!

use Vendor\MyPlugin\Facades\MyPlugin;
 
// Call native functions
MyPlugin::doSomething();
 
// Listen for events
#[OnNative(MyPlugin\Events\SomethingHappened::class)]
public function handleResult($data)
{
    // Handle it
}

use Vendor\MyPlugin\Facades\MyPlugin;

// Call native functions
MyPlugin::doSomething();

// Listen for events
#[OnNative(MyPlugin\Events\SomethingHappened::class)]
public function handleResult($data)
{
    // Handle it
}

The native code runs on-device, communicates with your PHP through the bridge, and dispatches events back to your Livewire components. It's the same model you're already using.

#Getting Started

Ready to build your own plugin? Check out Creating Plugins for the full guide.