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See what's new. Both from the Backpack team, and from developers just like you. Then publish articles to share your knowledge and get a little exposure.

Categories:
Tutorials (61) Recommendations (5) News (74) Tips and tricks (16) Getting Started (3) Show and tell (2) Maintainer News (1) Opinions (7)

Intro to AI: What are LLMs, AI Agents & MCPs?

AI, AI, AI — everyone is talking about it these days! And even though it may be overhyped, there are some excellent ways that you, as a developer can use AI right now to get your job done faster and better. But first, we need to u...

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Karan Datwani

How to create custom Laravel packages

What is a custom package? A custom package is a reusable piece of code that can be used across different projects to avoid code duplication and repetition. Think of it as a mini application that you can easily plug into your main...

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Pankaj Ramesh Vasnani

Progress Report: April 2025

Hey there, April has gone by - wow, that was fast. This month, a lot of our energy went into preparing the Backpack v7 release, includi...

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Cristian Tabacitu

How to Build Laravel Forms with Validation in 2025

Form — a small word, but very useful. Whether you’re collecting feedback, taking orders on an e-commerce site, editing blog posts, or a...

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Karan Datwani

Why You Should Link Your CRUDs (And How to Do It with Backpack)

In every admin panel, you’re usually dealing with a bunch of CRUDs — customers, orders, invoices, etc. But when these CRUDs are disconn...

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Karan Datwani

How to Build SaaS Using Backpack for Laravel

In the previous article, I showed you how to build a CRM using Backpack for Laravel. Now, let’s take it a step further and turn it into...

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Karan Datwani

Laravel Not Reading .env? Here’s The Right Way to Manage Your App Settings

If you’ve been working with Laravel, you’ve probably used env() to pull values from your .env file. You’ve also seen config() being use...

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Pankaj Ramesh Vasnani

Progress Report: March 2025

Hey there, March has been a focused month for us. Most of our energy went into preparing Backpack v7 for release, and we’re nearly ther...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Backpack for Laravel Alternatives 2025 - Top Admin Panels and Frameworks

Introduction to Laravel admin panels and Backpack As a developer, you're likely familiar with the challenge of building admin interface...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Add Engaging Animations To Your Webapp for FREE

Lottie animations have become a popular choice for adding rich, engaging animations to websites and apps. They’re lightweight, scalable...

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Karan Datwani

Building a CRM with Backpack for Laravel – The Fun & Easy Way

So, you want to build a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system? But the idea of manually setting up CRUDs, operations, and all...

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Karan Datwani

Make Your WebApp or Admin Panel Installable as a Mobile App

Ever noticed a little icon or popup on your browser asking you to install the web app you're currently browsing? It’s a cool feature th...

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Karan Datwani

What Can You Do with Laravel Middleware? (More Than You Think!)

Did you ever find yourself writing the same checks in multiple controllers? Like formatting inputs, blocking access, or tracking user a...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report: February 2025

Wow, another month - February truly is a short one, isn't it?! This month we've still focused on the next version of Backpack... but we...

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Cristian Tabacitu

How to Build a Laravel Dashboard Using Backpack (In No Time)

Every successful app needs a dashboard. It’s where you keep an eye on the important stuff. However, building one from scratch is time-c...

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Karan Datwani

Mastering Laravel: Where to Put Your Custom Code (And Why)

Laravel has plenty of built-in features and conventions to keep your code clean. But let’s be real: sooner or later, you’ll need to wri...

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Karan Datwani

Access CRUD subfields via Javascript

In a previous tutorial, I talked about the CrudField JavaScript Library. I presented an example on how to change one field as the user...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report - January 2025

First month of 2025 has already come and gone - wow! We're working on a few big things, that haven't seen the light of day yet, so... w...

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Cristian Tabacitu

How To Install MailPit on Laravel Forge

So you have a staging environment set up, and want to catch all emails that go out? You might use MailTrap for that. It's a great hoste...

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Cristian Tabacitu

How to use Backpack Fields on Non-CRUD Laravel Page

Using Backpack admin panel is always fun with its add-ons and features like Backpack Fields and various Operations, saving a lot of tim...

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Karan Datwani

Custom @blade directives for your views.

Blade Directives in Laravel offer a clean way to include content dynamically within your views, which also improves the readability an...

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Karan Datwani

How to setup Nested CRUD

Imagine a blog's admin who could list all posts in the admin panel. What if the admin wants to see a list of articles posted by a user...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report - December 2024

This was a slower month at Backpack HQ. We had burned out our tires last month with the Black Friday rush and security fixes, so it was...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Easy HTTPS Setup with Sail and FrankenPHP

If you're developing a Laravel application locally using Laravel Sail (Laravel's Docker-based development environment), you might notic...

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Kidd Tang

Backpack vs Filament

So... you need to build an admin panel for your Laravel app, and you're looking for the best tool to build it. You're on the right trac...

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Cristian Tabacitu

How to compare two CRUD entities.

Let's say I have a lengthy online form related to hiring for a particular position, and I received a good number of applicants. Now, lo...

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Karan Datwani

List and preview data from other sources like APIs.

In a recent article, I showed how to set up an Eloquent model for data sources other than DB. In this article, I'll show how you can li...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report - November 2024

Another busy month at Backpack HQ. This month was dominated by a security issue, our Black Friday promo and our work on Backpack v7. Le...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Black Week DISCOUNTS - Hurry Up!

Are you on the fence on buying Backpack? Have you wanted to upgrade to a bigger plan... but it was too expensive for you? We've got GRE...

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Cristian Tabacitu

How to add WebAuthn Passkeys To Backpack For Laravel Admin Panel

Want to make your Laravel Backpack admin panel more secure with a unique login experience for your admins? I'll show you how to add Pas...

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Kidd Tang

How To Integrate Cloudflare Turnstile in Laravel Backpack without any package

Laravel Backpack is one of the most powerful admin panels for building your custom project. Laravel 11, combined with Laravel Backpack...

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Kidd Tang

Progress Report - October 2024

New month, new things to share! Hold onto your seats... this one has some very juicy announcements - new features, new add-ons, new bug...

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Cristian Tabacitu

New: Docs AI Answers your Community Questions

We have great news! But first, context: last month we launched our experimental AI in our docs. If you have purchased any premium Backp...

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Cristian Tabacitu

🍣 Sushi — Your Eloquent model driver for other data sources

In Laravel projects, we usually store data in databases, create tables, and run migrations. But not every bit of data needs that level...

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Karan Datwani

How to add a custom Livewire form to Backpack

One of the biggest headaches in web development is managing frontend and backend interactions. I’m talking about smooth validation resp...

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Karan Datwani

Quickest way to setup PHP Environment (Laravel Herd + MySql)

Setting up a local development environment can be a time taking hassle—whether it's using Docker or manual installations. Laravel Herd...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report - September 2024

Another month of progress here, at Backpack HQ. Most of the things we've been working on are under-the-hood, since our current goal is...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Backpack vs Laravel Nova

Trying to decide between Backpack for Laravel and Laravel Nova? Well, grab a cup of coffee (or whatever keeps you going), and let’s di...

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Cristian Tabacitu

New in v6: Turn Multiple CRUD Buttons into a Dropdown

Do you find yourself drowning in a sea of action buttons in your CRUD table? You're not alone! Too many buttons can create a cluttered...

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Karan Datwani

Best free HTML templates for admin panels in 2024

If you're looking for a free HTML template to build an admin panel, there are several popular options available. In this article, I'll...

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Karan Datwani

How to configure User Access Control and Permissions in 10 minutes

Hey folks! So, picture this: you're crafting your admin panel and the need for proper access control hits you. Admin panels without rol...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report - August 2024

Another good month of progress here at Backpack HQ, despite the summer holidays and all. Again, our current goal is to solidify the cur...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Progress Report - July 2024

Another good month of progress here at Backpack HQ. Our current goal is to solidify the current version. We're doing that by improving...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Top 10 PHP Features You Can Use in 2024

Hey PHP fans! This article highlights some excellent new features of our favorite scripting language. Whether you're a seasoned pro or...

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Karan Datwani

How to create an AJAX Operation with Quick Button

Today, let's talk about the Quick Button. It's been around for a while, helping us easily create action buttons. But what if you need a...

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Karan Datwani

Laravel Advanced: Top 10 Validation Rules You Didn't Know Existed

Do you know all the validation rules available in Laravel? Think again! Laravel has many ready-to-use validation rules that can make yo...

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Karan Datwani

Laravel Advanced: Little Known Relationships - hasOneThrough() and hasManyThrough()

You've probably used hasOne, hasMany, belongsTo, and belongsToMany relationships in your projects. But did you know Laravel also offers...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report - June 2024

Another full month here at Backpack. Let's dig into it: Maintenance This month, Pedro has been working hard on Uploaders, which has an...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Laravel Advanced: Caching - Explained Simply

Caching is like keeping your favorite toy right on top of your toy box, so you can grab it quickly whenever you want to play. Similarly...

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Karan Datwani

Huge Discounts to Celebrate 8 Years of Backpack! Go get 'em!

As I mentioned in my previous article, we're celebrating Backpack turning 8 years old... with a BANG! If you've been with us for a whil...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Progress Report - May 2024

Another full month here at Backpack. Both Jorge and Antonio have been missing this month, but that doesn't mean we don't have anything...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Backpack Is 8 Years Old Now 🥳 Here’s Some History

I had this realization the other day - and it blew my mind. Eight years is a lot of time! To put that into perspective: 20% of new bus...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Laravel Advanced: Lesser-Known, Yet Useful Composer Commands

Composer is the go-to dependency manager for PHP, and if you're working with Laravel, you're already familiar with frequently used comm...

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Karan Datwani

Laravel Advanced: Know the sneaky $loop.

Blade provides directives like @foreach, @while, @for, and @forelse for working with PHP's loop. Did you know... A handy $loop variable...

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Karan Datwani

Choose 'Boring' Technology for Long-Term Projects

Ever chased a tech trend, only to regret it a couple of years down the line? You're not alone. I've been building stuff on the web for...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Progress Report: April 2024

Another full month here at Backpack. Let's dig into it: Support It's been a busy month for Jorge and Karan, but they've handled it like...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Top 10 Laravel Collection Methods You Have Never Used.

In this article series, we go a little deeper into parts of Laravel we all use, to uncover functions and features that we can use in ou...

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Karan Datwani

Generate a Laravel CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) in 5 minutes.

Are you building your App on Laravel? That's a great choice🎉. You must be planning an Admin panel for it. Well, if you're building one...

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Karan Datwani

New Addon: Edit Laravel Translations from Your Admin Panel.

Are you working on a multilingual app? If so, you must be tired of translating your Laravel application. Going through language files i...

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Karan Datwani

Language switcher UI for your Laravel App

Are your admins asking for multi-language support? Do they want a language switcher, to enjoy using their dashboard in their preferred...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report: March 2024

Another good month here at Backpack. Let's dig into it: Maintenance Pedro has been on 🔥 yet another month: All our packages now suppo...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Laravel Advanced: Top 5 Scheduler Functions You Might Not Know About

In this article series, we go a little deeper into parts of Laravel we all use, to uncover functions and features that we can use in ou...

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Karan Datwani

Receive Slack Notifications from your Laravel App with a 10-minute Setup

In the previous article, I introduced a Backpack's new Menu Dropdown Column component which I use for my e-commerce admin panel. Today,...

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Karan Datwani

New in v6: A larger layout for your large set of menu items.

I'm running an e-commerce website and its admin panel is built on the Backpack. It keeps growing with many CRUDs and features. This als...

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Karan Datwani

New in v6: Setup Calendar view on your Laravel projects

Last month, we introduced a new feature in Backpack. It is CalendarOperation, a simple way for your admins to see their database entrie...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report: February 2024

2024 has started strong, and February proves it. Many new users this month, so a lot more issues came in, but Jorge and Karan have done...

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Cristian Tabacitu

New in v6: How to setup multiple views on List operation

Last month, we launched an operation called CustomViewOperation. This helps to set up multiple custom views for ListOperation, where ea...

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Karan Datwani

What I missed when building an MVP with Laravel

I've been building a small app on the side. It's not for Laravel developers specifically, but if you're curious... it does one thing -...

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Cristian Tabacitu

How to access CRUD fields via javascript to manipulate Form

Hey there! This is a quick tutorial on the CrudField JavaScript Library. I'm trying it for the first time while writing this article. I...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report: January 2024

Happy new year, everyone! This is our first report of 2024, and we can clearly say... this year has started at full speed. A lot more i...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Setup GraphQL in Laravel using Lighthouse

So, you're eager to level up your API game with GraphQL for Laravel? Awesome! In this article, i'm going to help you set up a GraphQL...

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Karan Datwani

Cheers to Lewis and Excel Imports for Backpack!

Hey there!👋 Today, we're are not just diving into the code tutorial but taking a moment to appreciate @redsquirrelstudio (aka Lewis)....

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Karan Datwani

How to Build an Image Slider CRUD - Backpack Basics

I was working on a website and I had to allow the admin to create image sliders to place on website pages. Sliders are common and admin...

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Karan Datwani

How I created a custom “webcam” field for Backpack.

I have a project which is being used in exhibitions to print ID cards. People come for spot registrations and collect a physical ID bad...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report - December 2023

Ho ho ho! 🎅 Hope you enjoyed your holidays, if you celebrate them! Most of us here do, so it's been an "light" month for tea...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Top 3 Reasons Why FREE Dependencies are Not Exactly FREE

I’ve seen this happen so many times, especially with devs who are newer to PHP, or come from JS. Their composer.json looks is an endles...

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Cristian Tabacitu

How to create a Trash/Deleted section in Backpack CRUD

Are you using SoftDeletes on any of your Eloquent models? Do you want the admin to be able to soft delete, hard delete or recover items...

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Karan Datwani

How to add a tooltip to a field label

Someone just asked me why "it is not possible in Backpack to add a question icon next to each field, with a tooltip for more info...

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Cristian Tabacitu

How to build a theme-picker for Backpack admin panel.

As a developer who uses Backpack, choosing a different theme is easy. But you can also... let your users change the theme! In fact, we...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report - November 2023

We've been hard at work this month, fixing and polishing - our software, our processes and our services offering. Here's what's new, fr...

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Cristian Tabacitu

How to make custom JavaScript work with Backpack's List Operation

Last month, we received a query on our backpack community forum. A user wanted to add custom JS, to show the tooltips for table section...

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Karan Datwani

Many Many Discounts - Black Week, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and more

'Tis the season to be jolly! Wait, it's not Christmas yet. 👀 'Tis the season to be buying! That's more like it. If you've been with us...

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Cristian Tabacitu

The New Trend in Web Development: Keeping It Simple

Web development is changing. Again! Here's how: The Modern Web What people call "the modern web" began to take shape in the e...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Easy Column Links using linkTo()

Hey there! 👋 Do you want an easy way to deep link your Backpack columns? Well, you're in luck! Backpack has introduced a new column at...

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Karan Datwani

New in v6: Granular User Access, using Custom Closures

When it comes to building complex applications, controlling access to certain features or actions is paramount. Starting with Backpack...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report - October 2023

Happy to report that we've launched two new features this month. Both features make it dead-simple to do stuff that is more complex, bu...

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Cristian Tabacitu

New in v6: CSS Hooks - Easy CSS Customization for Your Backpack CRUD Panels

Hey there! 👋 We've got just the trick for you! Let's talk about how you can sprinkle a little bit of your own magic on your CRUD Panel...

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Karan Datwani

How GraphQL is better than REST APIs.

Hey there, fellow Laravel developers! If you've been hearing about GraphQL and wondering what the buzz is all about, or if you're just...

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Karan Datwani

New in v6: How to use Spatie Media Library in Backpack

Hey there, awesome developers! We've got some super exciting news for you! Backpack v6 now comes with super cool, first-party support...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report - September 2023

This will be a short one. Not because we haven't done much - we have, but because we've been more focused on actually finishing things....

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Cristian Tabacitu

Question: Would You Buy 1-on-1 Consulting With a Backpack Core Maintainer?

Hey there! Context for those who don't know... we also offer web development and UX/UI services. Most of our clients are CTOs and found...

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Cristian Tabacitu

New in v6: How to change layout for panel & auth views

Welcome to the world of custom themes for your Backpack v6 project! With the Tabler theme, you can easily change the layout for panel a...

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Karan Datwani

New in v6: How to enable dark-mode on Backpack 🌑✨

Hello fellow developers! Are you ready to embrace the dark side? Starting from Backpack v6, we've got you covered with a sleek dark mod...

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Karan Datwani

New in v6: How to create your own custom theme to Backpack v6

Hey devs, are you ready to create your own custom theme to Backpack v6? It's easier than you might think! Let's walk through the steps...

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Karan Datwani

Give a discount, get a discount! Introducing Backpack Rewards.

We have great news if you have friends... who are still not using Backpack. You can now refer people to Backpack and get rewarded for i...

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Cristian Tabacitu

Spread the word and we'll share the profit. Become an Affiliate!

Do you have an audience that is interested in Laravel and/or admin panels? Then we're a great match, let's do business together! We'll...

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Cristian Tabacitu

New FREE Add-on - Activity Log

As we build features for ourselves and our clients, we try to release them to you too. Either as features in our existing products, or...

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Cristian Tabacitu

New in v6: How to change themes in Backpack v6

Hey there! In Backpack v6, we introduced themes so that you can add a bit of personality to your admin panels! Changing themes is a bre...

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Karan Datwani

Progress Report - August 2023

This was a very productive month for us. We've not only fixed bugs in our newest software, but we've also streamlined our support syste...

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Cristian Tabacitu

New basset() helper (yes, helper)

As part of Backpack v6, we've invented a new way of loading assets in Laravel. And we've done that as an open-source package - one that...

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Cristian Tabacitu

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