Since the launch of Splade, there has been a constant request for a demo application. The idea was first to replicate Ping CRM, the Inertia demo app, or even build an admin panel like Filament or Nova. But then I thought, why not create something completely different? Something not commonly found in the open-source ecosystem. As I was also experimenting with Caddy web server for the last few months, I thought building a server management tool around it would be a great idea. And that's how Eddy was born.
So, what exactly is Eddy?
Eddy is a powerful server management and zero-downtime deployment tool. With Eddy, you can provision servers with Ubuntu Server, PHP, Caddy web server, MySQL 8.0, Redis, and more. Everything is easily managed through a responsive web interface. You can deploy your PHP applications seamlessly without any downtime. Eddy integrates smoothly with DigitalOcean, GitHub, and Hetzner Cloud. Additionally, you can effortlessly handle cron jobs, daemons, firewall rules, and more. It's fully open source, allowing you to host it yourself. However, if you prefer a hassle-free experience, there's also a hosted version available at eddy.management. By opting for the hosted version, you not only gain convenience but also support the ongoing development of Eddy and Splade.
Why is this open source?
Well, for the longest time, I've been yearning to create an open-source Laravel application instead of another package. When the idea of Splade emerged last year, I focused on its development. Since then, Splade has come a long way, with over 100 releases, bug fixes, and exciting features. With Splade now being more mature, it was the perfect time to introduce Eddy. Making Eddy open-source allows you to witness Splade in action within a real-world application. It demonstrates how effortlessly interactive applications can be built using Splade. Moreover, the transparency of an open-source project allows you to see precisely what happens on your server and even contribute to the project.
About Splade
Since its release in the summer of 2022, Splade has quickly gained popularity in the Laravel community as a simple and versatile way to create Single Page Applications (SPA) using Laravel and Blade. It also comes with a range of built-in components. Most of them are renderless, meaning you can provide your own template. Some are pre-styled with Tailwind CSS, but it's all fully customizable. Splade remains true to the Laravel way of doing things, enabling you to leverage the powerful Blade syntax while still having the full power of Vue. Splade was recently showcased at the Laravel Worldwide Meetup hosted by Freek Van der Herten.