Laravel + Electron = Native Power: How NativePHP Works Under the Hood


NativePHP is opening up a new era for Laravel developers—bringing the elegance of Laravel to the desktop world. But how exactly does it all work under the hood?

In this article, we’ll take a peek behind the curtain and explore how NativePHP blends Laravel with Electron to deliver powerful, native-feeling desktop apps.

🔧 What is NativePHP, Really?

At its core, NativePHP is a Laravel package that allows you to build desktop applications using familiar Laravel syntax. But rather than reinventing the wheel, it cleverly leverages Electron, a popular framework that powers apps like VS Code, Slack, and Figma.

So what NativePHP really does is:

  • Act as a bridge between Laravel (backend) and Electron (frontend).

  • Abstract away the complexity of managing Electron from Laravel.

  • Let you define window properties, menus, tray icons, and more in pure PHP.

⚙️ Under the Hood: Key Components

Let’s break down how NativePHP works internally:

1. Laravel as the Backend Brain 🧠

Laravel serves as your API/backend engine. It handles:

  • Routing

  • Controllers

  • Views (via Blade or Inertia)

  • Business logic

  • Authentication

The frontend in Electron communicates with this backend just like any web app would.

2. Electron as the Window Renderer 🪟

Electron launches a Chromium instance that loads a web view, powered by your Laravel server. This is what gives it a native desktop appearance, while still being web tech at heart.

Your Laravel app gets rendered in Electron like a website inside a browser—only it's now your own custom window.

3. The NativePHP Package as the Glue 🧩

This is the real magic layer. NativePHP handles:

  • Electron lifecycle (launching, quitting, reloading)

  • Window creation and customization (Window::open())

  • Interactions like opening new windows, setting icons, etc.

  • Serving your Laravel app to Electron on a local port (typically localhost:8000)

It hides most of the Electron config in favor of clean Laravel syntax.

🧱 File Structure Overview

When you install NativePHP, it introduces files like:

app/NativePHP/MainWindow.php
config/nativephp.php

The MainWindow.php class is where you define your primary app window, while the config file lists all your app windows and NativePHP-specific settings.

🔄 Serving the App

Here’s how the pieces fit when you run the app:

  1. php artisan serve – Starts Laravel on a local port.

  2. php artisan native:serve – Boots Electron, points it to Laravel's URL.

  3. Electron loads the Laravel view and displays it as a native window.

🧪 DevTools, Hot Reload & Debugging

NativePHP gives you access to Electron's DevTools for debugging JavaScript and frontend views.

It also supports hot reloading, so when you update a view or backend logic, the Electron app reflects changes immediately.

Window::open()
    ->devtools(true)
    ->resizable()
    ->url('http://localhost:8000');

📡 Communication Between Electron and Laravel

Need to send data between the frontend (Electron) and backend (Laravel)?

Here’s how it works:

  • Laravel APIs (routes) respond to HTTP calls from Electron.

  • You can use Inertia.js, Livewire, or Vue components.

  • Electron can also execute native OS functions via Node.js scripts.

đź’» Why This Matters

Before NativePHP, building native apps required you to learn:

  • Electron + Node.js

  • Inter-process communication (IPC)

  • Packaging, window management, etc.

Now, Laravel devs can skip all that and: ✅ Use the skills they already have
✅ Create true desktop apps
✅ Access native OS APIs
✅ Bundle and distribute cross-platform apps

🚀 Recap

  • NativePHP combines Laravel + Electron to create native desktop apps.

  • Laravel handles routing, views, and logic—just like normal.

  • Electron renders the UI as a desktop window.

  • NativePHP glues them together with a smooth dev experience.