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Lighthouse
What it is
Lighthouse is a free framework for serving GraphQL from an existing Laravel application. It describes data with GraphQL Schema Definition Language and uses server-side directives to add behavior, while reusing Laravel concepts and Eloquent models. Built-in directives support creating records, resolving relationships, applying query constraints, paginating results, and validating fields and arguments. Developers can add custom directives for reusable behavior, and the @can directive family can apply Laravel Policies to restrict field operations. The default GraphQL endpoint is `/graphql`, and the documentation says any GraphQL client can use it. Lighthouse supports standard Laravel authentication mechanisms, including Sanctum. Subscriptions allow clients to observe events and receive server updates. Parsed queries can be cached with Laravel cache stores or local PHP files with OPcache; Automatic Persisted Queries are supported with Apollo compatibility. It is installed in a Laravel or Lumen project using Composer and is self-hosted. GraphQL tooling such as GraphiQL is not included. Federation support is experimental and cannot serve as a federation gateway.
For and against
For
- Free package for Laravel or Lumen projects.
- Built-in directives support relationships, pagination, and validation.
- Supports Laravel authentication, including Sanctum.
- Offers subscriptions and query caching.
Against
- Requires an existing Laravel or Lumen project.
- GraphQL tooling such as GraphiQL is not included.
- Federation support is experimental and cannot be a gateway.
The verdict
Lighthouse provides GraphQL server capabilities built around Laravel and Eloquent. Developers should plan for self-hosting and separate tooling, and note the stated federation limitation.
Who it suits
Lighthouse suits PHP developers building GraphQL services on Laravel or Lumen who want to use Eloquent and Laravel features. It requires a project and a self-hosted deployment.
Plans and prices
Lighthouse
Installable PHP package · requires a Laravel or Lumen project
Read 8 Oct 2026 · lighthouse-php.com
On the record
- Authentication
- It supports standard Laravel authentication mechanisms and can use Laravel Sanctum for API authentication.lighthouse-php.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Authorization
- The `@can` directive lets Lighthouse use Laravel Policies to restrict field operations.lighthouse-php.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Caching
- Parsed GraphQL queries can be cached using Laravel cache stores or local PHP files with OPcache.lighthouse-php.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- CRUD and relationships
- Built-in directives support operations such as creating records and resolving Eloquent relationships.lighthouse-php.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- CSRF mitigation
- The optional `EnsureXHR` middleware blocks GET requests and POST requests that can be created using HTML forms to mitigate CSRF attacks.lighthouse-php.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Custom directives
- Developers can implement custom directives to add reusable behavior to schema definitions.lighthouse-php.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Data access features
- Built-in directives support Eloquent relationships, pagination, and query constraints.lighthouse-php.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Developer tooling
- The installation documentation says Lighthouse does not include GraphQL tooling such as GraphiQL and shows GraphQL Playground as a separate package.lighthouse-php.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Eloquent
- It works with existing Eloquent models and creates optimized database queries out of the box.lighthouse-php.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Federation limitation
- Federation support is marked experimental, is not enabled by default, and cannot serve as a federation gateway.lighthouse-php.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- GraphQL endpoint
- The default GraphQL endpoint is `/graphql`, and the docs say any GraphQL client can use it.lighthouse-php.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Install
- The docs install Lighthouse in a project with Composer using `composer require nuwave/lighthouse`.lighthouse-php.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The tutorial installs Lighthouse in a Laravel project with Composer using `composer require nuwave/lighthouse`.lighthouse-php.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Laravel and Eloquent
- It works on an existing Laravel application and uses Eloquent models to create optimized database queries.lighthouse-php.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Laravel integration
- It builds a GraphQL server on top of an existing Laravel application and is designed to reuse Laravel concepts and code.lighthouse-php.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Lumen support
- The docs explain how to configure Lighthouse for Lumen and note that its service providers must be registered individually because Lumen does not support auto-discovery.lighthouse-php.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Pagination and validation
- Schema directives include pagination and Laravel validation for GraphQL fields and arguments.lighthouse-php.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Persisted queries
- Automatic Persisted Queries are supported with Apollo compatibility and are enabled by default when query caching is enabled.lighthouse-php.com · read 7 Oct 2026
