# Anvilforge
> Web artisans, forged in Rust.
Laravel's developer experience, Rust's runtime. Same `anvil make:model` muscle memory, type-checked end to end, single static binary. Coming from Laravel? [Here's the cheatsheet](docs/src/getting-started/from-laravel.md).
## Quickstart
```bash
# one-time install (pre-built binary, no compile)
# cargo binstall anvilforge-cli # downloads the release binary
# cargo install anvilforge-cli # compiles from source (5–15 min on cold toolchain)
anvil new my-app
cd my-app
anvil serve
```
Open <http://localhost:8080>. That's it. No `.env` to copy, no `DATABASE_URL` to configure — `anvil new` writes `.env` for you with a fresh `APP_KEY`, creates the SQLite DB file on disk, and SQLite is the default (zero-config, just like `laravel new`).
Already running Postgres or MySQL (e.g. via Laravel Herd)? Skip the `.env` edit:
```bash
anvil new my-app --db postgres # creates the `my_app` DB on 127.0.0.1:5432 (Herd defaults)
anvil new my-app --db mysql # 127.0.0.1:3306
anvil new my-app --db postgres://user:pass@host:5432/custom_db # full URL works too
```
What you got:
- Routing (`routes/web.rs`, `routes/api.rs`)
- A Forge layout + welcome page
- A `users` migration + `User` model
- The full Anvilforge container (db pool, cache, mailer, queue, storage)
- File-watching hot reload via `anvil dev`
## Common anvil commands
```bash
anvil serve # run the dev server
anvil dev # serve --watch shorthand (auto-reload)
anvil routes # list every registered route
anvil migrate # apply pending migrations
anvil migrate:rollback # undo the last batch
anvil migrate:fresh --seed # drop + remigrate + seed
anvil db:seed # run database seeders
anvil queue:work # process queued jobs
anvil schedule:run # run scheduled tasks (call from cron once a minute)
anvil test # cargo test
anvil bench # HTTP load test (workspace tool)
anvil bench:micro # criterion microbenchmarks (snapshot, template)
anvil bench:full # both, in sequence
anvil fmt # cargo fmt --all
anvil lint # cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets
anvil install # `cargo install` this CLI into ~/.cargo/bin
anvil update # update the `anvil` binary to the latest crates.io release
anvil update --check # show what's new without installing
anvil mcp # start the Boost MCP server (AI agents)
anvil boost:install # write AGENTS.md + .mcp.json
anvil herd:link # macOS: front the app at https://<dir>.test via Laravel Herd
anvil herd:unlink # remove the Herd proxy
anvil make:model Post --with-migration
anvil make:migration add_published_at_to_posts
anvil make:controller PostController --resource
anvil make:component Counter
anvil make:request StorePostRequest
anvil make:job SendWelcomeEmail
anvil make:event UserRegistered
anvil make:listener SendWelcomeEmail --event=UserRegistered
anvil make:test post_creation
```
## Published crate map
The framework is one logical project, split into multiple crates published under the `anvilforge-` namespace:
| `anvilforge` | `anvilforge` | Facade — `use anvilforge::prelude::*;` |
| `anvilforge-core` | `anvil_core` | HTTP layer, container, auth, queue, mail, cache, sessions, storage, scheduler, validation |
| `anvilforge-derive` | `anvil_derive` | Proc macros: `FormRequest`, `Job`, `Migration` |
| `anvilforge-cast` | `cast` | ORM facade |
| `anvilforge-cast-core` | `cast_core` | `Model` trait, query builder, schema, migrations |
| `anvilforge-cast-derive` | `cast_derive` | `#[derive(Model)]`, `#[has_many]`, `#[belongs_to]` |
| `anvilforge-templates` | `forge` | Template runtime: stack buffer, `@vite` helper, escape |
| `anvilforge-templates-codegen` | `forge_codegen` | Forge → Askama preprocessor |
| `anvilforge-broadcast` | `reverb` | WebSocket server (Pusher-compatible) |
| `anvilforge-cli` | — | `smith` CLI binary |
| `anvilforge-test` | `anvil_test` | Test client, factories |
In practice you only ever depend on `anvilforge` — the facade re-exports everything you need via `anvilforge::prelude::*`.
## Tuning the dev loop
The default `anvil dev` already matches Laravel for everything except the
Rust file edit:
- **0s** — template (`.forge.html`), config (`config/anvil.toml`), or static
asset edit. Hot-reloaded per request when `APP_ENV != production`.
- **1–2 s** — Rust handler rebuild + restart, with the workspace's tuned
`[profile.dev]`.
For sub-second Rust iteration on stable Rust, opt into the dylib hot-patch
pattern (same technique Bevy and Dioxus use):
```bash
anvil dev --hot # ~460 ms edit-to-running-code
```
The full dev-loop tuning guide — `sccache`, `mold`/`lld`, the Cranelift
codegen backend, and the hot-patch ABI limits — lives in
[docs: tuning the dev loop](docs/src/getting-started/dev-loop.md). Run
`anvil doctor` to see what's already installed locally.
## Status
POC. The architecture is validated end-to-end against `examples/blog`. Published on crates.io as of `0.3.x` — `cargo install anvilforge-cli` works.
## License
MIT — see [LICENSE](LICENSE)