What a Starter Kit Gives You

Nearly every app you build needs the same first screens: register, log in, forgot password, edit profile. They are dull to write and dangerous to get wrong. A starter kit drops working versions into your new app before you write a line, so day one starts with a real login page.

The rule

A starter kit writes your auth screens once, then hands you the code.

When you run laravel new lendly in Laravel 12, the first question is which kit you want:

• None: a bare app. This course uses this so you can see every piece being added.
• React or Vue: pages written as JavaScript components, connected to Laravel through Inertia.
• Livewire: pages written as Blade templates with interactive PHP components.

Whichever you pick, the kit adds routes, controllers, pages and tests for:

• registration and login
• password reset by email
• email verification
• a settings area for profile and password changes

The important word is adds. The kit is not a package hiding in vendor/ that you configure from outside. Its files are copied into app/, routes/ and resources/, where you can read and edit them like your own code:

After that, restyling the login page means opening its view and changing it. There is no upstream to fight with, and also no automatic updates. You own it.

Older projects use two earlier kits, Breeze and Jetstream. They work on the same copy-the-code idea. You will meet them at the end of this section.

The shortcut

To choose, ask one question: "Which language do I want to write my pages in?" JavaScript components → React or Vue kit. Blade and PHP → Livewire kit. A pure JSON API → no kit.

The trap is treating kit code as untouchable. It was written to be edited.

Drills

Answer fast — trust the rule.

Remember

• A starter kit writes your auth screens once, then hands you the code.
• Choose by page language: JavaScript components → React or Vue, Blade and PHP → Livewire, API → none.
• Trap: kit code is not sacred. Edit it like your own.