Foodlay is a modern single-vendor restaurant management system built on top of the foodlay stack, combining a robust Laravel 12 backend with a dynamic Vue 3 frontend via Inertia.js.

• Backend: Laravel 12
• Frontend: Vue 3 (Composition API) with Inertia.js
• Styling: Tailwind CSS 4
• Build tool: Vite 7
• Database: MySQL 8+/MariaDB 10.5+

System Architecture

• Monolithic Laravel application with two decoupled frontend modules:
• Admin Panel: dashboard for managing orders, items, users, and settings
• Storefront: customer-facing web app for browsing menus and placing orders

Folder Structure

/app
/Http
  /Controllers
    /Api          (REST API V1)
    /Payment      (Gateways: Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
    /Web          (Inertia controllers: Admin, StoreFront)
  /Middleware
  /Requests
  /Resources
/config
/database
/public          (POINT DOMAIN HERE)
/resources
  /js
    /AdminPanel   (Admin Vue app)
    /StoreFront   (Customer Vue app)
    /components   (Shared UI)
    /lib          (Utilities)
  /css            (Tailwind entries)
  /views          (Blade entry points)
/routes
  /api            (Versioned API routes)
  /web            (Admin, Storefront, Installer)
/storage
.env

Dashboard & Analytics

• Real-time overview of orders, revenue, and active users
• Reports: sales & revenue, category & item performance, user activity, hourly trends

Order Management

• Full lifecycle tracking: Pending, Confirm, Processing, Handover, Picked Up, Delivered
• Delivery assignment (manual/automatic), invoice generation, refund workflows

Food & Menu Management

• Advanced item setup (description, images, pricing)
• Variations & addons; categories & sub-categories; labels & cuisines
• Bulk import/export via CSV/Excel

Marketing & Promotions

• Coupons with limits/expiry; BOGO; Happy Hour scheduling
• Loyalty points redeemable to wallet; push notifications via Firebase
• Sales popups for FOMO on storefront

User Management

• Employee roles & granular permissions
• Deliveryman management with shift tracking and earnings
• Customer wallet and CRM (orders, points, balance)

Website & Content

• Page builder for About/Privacy/Terms
• Blogs and FAQ modules
• Social links configuration

Settings & Configuration

• Payment gateways: Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, Flutterwave
• SMS gateways: Twilio, Nexmo
• Firebase setup for notifications/auth; Mail via SMTP (Gmail, SES, Mailgun)
• Business info: currency, time zone, logo, branding

Communication

• Live chat between customers and Admin/Support
• Order-specific support channels

System Maintenance

• Database backups, system health view (PHP version, extensions)
• Activity logs for auditing

Security

• Role-based access control
• Secure login protections

Server Requirements

• PHP ≥ 8.2
• Composer ≥ 2.5
• Node.js ≥ 18.x
• MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.5+

PHP Extensions

BCMath
Ctype
Fileinfo
JSON
Mbstring
OpenSSL
PDO (pdo_mysql)
Tokenizer
XML
curl
gd
exif
intl
zip

Pre-flight Checklist

• Domain and hosting meeting prerequisites.
• Purchase code available.
• Empty MySQL/MariaDB database created.

4-Step Installation

• Upload and unzip install.zip.
• Point domain document root to /public.
• Run installer wizard in browser.
• Configure DB credentials and purchase code.

Post-Installation

• Configure business settings.
• Set up mail (SMTP).
• Configure cron job.
• Create zone and add first food item.

Database Creation

• Step A: Create database via cPanel wizard.
• Step B: Create DB user and password.
• Step C: Assign ALL PRIVILEGES to the user.

Extraction & Setup

• Upload and unzip install.zip to server root.
• Point domain/subdomain to /public.
• Ensure writable: /storage, /bootstrap/cache, .env.
• Run composer install to install PHP dependencies.
• Run npm install then npm run build to compile frontend assets.

Automated Wizard

• Visit site to start installer.
• Enter DB credentials and purchase code.
• Finish and log in to Admin Panel.

Core

• Business details, currency, time zone, branding.
• Enable/disable modules as needed.

Integrations

• Payment gateways: Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, Flutterwave, etc.
• SMS gateways: Twilio, Nexmo, others for OTP.
• Firebase: push notifications and auth.
• Mail: SMTP (Gmail, AWS SES, Mailgun).

Environment

APP_NAME=
APP_ENV=
APP_KEY=
APP_URL=
DB_HOST=
DB_PORT=
DB_DATABASE=
DB_USERNAME=
DB_PASSWORD=
MAIL_MAILER=
QUEUE_CONNECTION=
BROADCAST_DRIVER=
CACHE_DRIVER=

Local Development

• php artisan serve (local dev only)
• Access: http://127.0.0.1:8000

Production .env Essentials

• Disable debug in production and set a correct APP_URL.

APP_ENV=production
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_URL=https://example.com
LOG_CHANNEL=stack
CACHE_DRIVER=file
QUEUE_CONNECTION=database
SESSION_DRIVER=file
SESSION_SECURE_COOKIE=true
# If using subdomains:
SESSION_DOMAIN=.example.com
# If behind a proxy/CDN:
TRUSTED_PROXIES=*

Nginx

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    root /var/www/foodlay/public;
    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN";
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff";
    index index.php;
    charset utf-8;
    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }
    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $realpath_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Nginx (HTTPS + Redirect)

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com www.example.com;
    return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}
server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name example.com;
    root /var/www/foodlay/public;
    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem;
    add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains" always;
    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN";
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff";
    index index.php;
    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }
    location ~ \.php$ {
        # Adjust socket or use 127.0.0.1:9000 depending on your PHP-FPM setup
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $realpath_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
    location ~* \.(?:css|js|jpg|jpeg|gif|png|webp|ico|svg)$ {
        expires 7d;
        add_header Cache-Control "public, max-age=604800, immutable";
    }
}

Apache

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/foodlay/public
    <Directory /var/www/foodlay/public>
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Apache (HTTPS + Redirect)

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName example.com
  Redirect permanent / https://example.com/
</VirtualHost>
<IfModule mod_ssl.c>
<VirtualHost *:443>
  ServerName example.com
  DocumentRoot /var/www/foodlay/public
  SSLEngine on
  SSLCertificateFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem
  SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem
  <Directory /var/www/foodlay/public>
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
  </Directory>
</VirtualHost>
</IfModule>

LiteSpeed / OpenLiteSpeed

• Enterprise: point document root to /public; uses .htaccess
• OpenLiteSpeed: enable Rewrite and auto-load .htaccess in Virtual Host

SSL & Security

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com

Subdomains for Admin & Storefront

• Point both example.com (storefront) and admin.example.com (Admin Panel) to the same /public.
• Ensure APP_URL matches the primary domain; use SESSION_DOMAIN=.example.com when sharing sessions across subdomains.
• If using a CDN/proxy (e.g., Cloudflare), set TRUSTED_PROXIES=* and keep APP_URL on https.

cPanel Alternative (if /public not possible)

• Upload project to /public_html/foodlay_core/
• Move all files from /foodlay_core/public/ to /public_html/
• Edit public_html/index.php paths:

require __DIR__.'/foodlay_core/vendor/autoload.php';
$app = require_once __DIR__.'/foodlay_core/bootstrap/app.php';

Permissions

• Ensure writable: /storage, /bootstrap/cache, .env

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/foodlay
find /var/www/foodlay -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
find /var/www/foodlay -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;

Cron Job

* * * * * php /path/to/artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

Queue Workers

• Use Supervisor/systemd when QUEUE_CONNECTION=database

# /etc/supervisor/conf.d/foodlay-worker.conf
[program:foodlay-worker]
process_name=%(program_name)s_%(process_num)02d
command=php /var/www/foodlay/artisan queue:work --sleep=1 --tries=3 --max-time=3600
autostart=true
autorestart=true
numprocs=2
redirect_stderr=true
stdout_logfile=/var/log/supervisor/foodlay-worker.log

CORS (API on another domain)

• If the mobile apps call this API from a different domain, configure config/cors.php accordingly.

'paths' => ['api/*', 'sanctum/csrf-cookie'],
'allowed_origins' => ['https://app.example.com', 'https://admin.example.com'],
'allowed_methods' => ['*'],
'allowed_headers' => ['*'],
'supports_credentials' => true,

First-Time Deployment

• Point domain/subdomain document root to /public
• Upload project files to server
• Ensure writable: /storage, /bootstrap/cache, .env
• Create database and user, grant privileges
• Install PHP dependencies with production flags
• Generate APP_KEY and link storage
• Install Node dependencies and build assets
• Run migrations (and seeders if needed)
• Cache configuration and routes

composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader
php artisan key:generate
php artisan storage:link
npm ci
npm run build
php artisan migrate --force
php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache
php artisan view:cache

Post‑Deployment Checklist

• Visit / to ensure pages load and assets resolve
• Check APP_URL correctness and HTTPS redirects
• Verify public/build is present and Vite manifest loads
• Run health checks: DB connection, cache, queue
• Confirm storage symlink works (image uploads)

Backups & Rollback

• Backup database and .env before upgrades
• Keep previous release for quick rollback
• Restore DB from dump if migrations fail and rollback is required

cPanel Shared Hosting

• If document root cannot point to /public, move public files to public_html and adjust index.php paths
• Run composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader via SSH or cPanel terminal
• Run npm install and npm run build locally, then upload the generated public/build folder to the server

Foodlay includes a built-in updater that allows administrators to apply new versions directly from the Admin Panel. Follow the steps below to safely update your Admin Panel and Web Storefront.

Before You Update

• Create a full database backup via phpMyAdmin, cPanel, or CLI
• Back up your .env file and any custom modifications
• Ensure your server meets the latest version's requirements
• Download the update.zip file from your purchase account

Step-by-Step Update Process

• Step 1: Log in to the Admin Panel using your administrator credentials.
• Step 2: Navigate to the updater page by visiting yourdomain.com/updater in your browser.
• Step 3: On the updater page, click the file upload area and select the update.zip file you downloaded.
• Step 4: Click the Update button to begin the update process.
• Step 5: Wait for the process to complete. The system will extract the files, apply database migrations, and clear caches automatically.

Post-Update Checklist

• Verify the application loads correctly and check for any errors
• Confirm the version number has been updated in the Admin Panel
• Test core functionality: placing an order, processing payments, and login flows
• Clear browser cache to ensure updated assets are loaded

Update Troubleshooting

• Upload fails or times out: Increase PHP upload_max_filesize and post_max_size to at least 64M in your php.ini
• Permission denied errors: Ensure /storage, /bootstrap/cache, and project root are writable by the web server
• 500 error after update: Run the following commands via SSH to clear all caches:

php artisan optimize:clear
php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear

• Rollback: If the update causes critical issues, restore your database backup and replace the application files with your pre-update backup

500 Server Error

• Check storage/logs/laravel.log
• Fix permissions:

chmod -R 775 storage
chmod -R 775 bootstrap/cache

Vite manifest not found

• Ensure public/build exists and was uploaded correctly

Images not loading

• Link storage:

php artisan storage:link

404 Not Found (except homepage)

• Nginx: include try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
• Apache: ensure .htaccess exists and mod_rewrite is enabled

Emails not sending

• Verify SMTP config; test connection
• Use QUEUE_CONNECTION=sync for testing or run workers

Class/Target not found

composer dump-autoload
php artisan optimize:clear

Changes not reflecting

php artisan optimize:clear
php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear

419 Page Expired (CSRF)

• Check SESSION_DOMAIN; ensure sessions path is writable; set SESSION_SECURE_COOKIE when HTTPS

Mixed Content (HTTP/HTTPS)

APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com

Composer platform issues

composer install --ignore-platform-reqs

SQL strict mode errors

• Set 'strict' => false in config/database.php and clear config cache

Large file uploads fail

upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
memory_limit = 512M

Node/Vue build issues

rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install --legacy-peer-deps
export NODE_OPTIONS=--max_old_space_size=4096
npm run build

Controllers & Services

• Controllers in app/Http/Controllers handle requests
• Services in app/Services encapsulate business logic

Models

• Use migrations for schema changes; update model $fillable

php artisan make:migration add_column_to_items_table

Frontend (Vue 3 + Inertia)

• Pages in resources/js/Pages
• Components in resources/js/Components
• Run npm run dev for HMR; npm run build for production

Styling & Themes

• Tailwind CSS entries in resources/css
• Rebuild assets after changes

Translations

• Manage languages via Admin Panel; developer seeds in database/seeders

Email Templates

• Blade templates at resources/views/emails

Routes

Route::get('/', fn () => Inertia::render('StoreFront/Home'));
Route::get('/admin', fn () => Inertia::render('AdminPanel/Dashboard'));

Version 2.0 — April 2026

• Upgraded backend to Laravel 12 with full PHP 8.2+ support
• Migrated frontend to Vue 3.5 + Inertia.js 2.0 with Composition API
• Upgraded build tooling to Vite 7 and Tailwind CSS 4
• Added Happy Hour scheduling with time-based discount rules
• Added BOGO (Buy One Get One) offer support
• Added Invoice Setup — customizable invoice templates per business
• Added Refund Management — admin refund request handling with status tracking
• Added Tax Management — flexible tax rules per item and category
• Added Real-time Chat between Admin, Customers, and Delivery staff via Laravel Reverb (WebSockets)
• Added Two-Factor Authentication (TOTP) for admin accounts
• Added Loyalty Points system — earn and redeem points via wallet
• Added Wallet — customer wallet with top-up and transaction history
• Added Referral System — referral codes with configurable rewards
• Added Blog Module — full blog management with categories and rich-text editor
• Added Newsletter subscription management
• Added AWS S3 integration for cloud media storage
• Added Google reCAPTCHA v3 on login and registration
• Improved Admin Panel UI with shadcn-vue component library
• Improved Storefront with enhanced product and category browsing
• Performance improvements via optional Laravel Octane (Swoole) support
• Built-in one-click updater at yourdomain.com/updater

Version 1.0 — 07 March 2026

• Initial release
• Laravel 11 backend with Vue 3 + Inertia.js frontend
• Full order lifecycle management (Pending → Delivered)
• Category, food item, and addon management
• Delivery assignment and zone management
• Payment gateway integration (Stripe)
• Firebase push notifications
• Multi-language support (EN, BN, HI, AR, ES)
• Customer-facing web storefront
• Admin panel with dashboard and analytics
• Role-based employee access control
• Coupon and discount management
• Customer and deliveryman management
• SMTP email integration