A modern, enterprise-ready state machine implementation for Laravel Eloquent models.
Author: Hamed Panjeh
- laravel-pay-pocket https://github.com/HPWebdeveloper/laravel-pay-pocket
- laravel-failed-jobs https://github.com/HPWebdeveloper/laravel-failed-jobs
- laravel-stateflow https://github.com/HPWebdeveloper/laravel-stateflow
Laravel StateFlow is inspired by similar concepts found in Spatie Laravel Model States, however, it is a fully independent, ground-up implementation with its own architecture and design decisions. It combines the state pattern with state machines to deliver enterprise-ready features: automatic state class discovery, automatic transition discovery, permissions, UI metadata, history tracking, and API resources. Laravel StateFlow maintains a single, unified topology of all possible states and transitions in your application's backing enum. This centralized architecture ensures that state definitions remain synchronized across your entire application, eliminating inconsistencies between backend logic and frontend representations. For large, complex systems, managing state changes and transitions is no longer cumbersome or bug-prone as your system growsβa single enum serves as the definitive source of truth.
π¦ Demo Application: See Laravel StateFlow in action with a complete order management demo at laravel-stateflow-demo.
- Introduction
- Why Laravel StateFlow?
- Installation
- Preparation in 4 Simple Steps
- How to Use It
- Transitions
- Permissions
- History Tracking
- API Resources
- Query Scopes
- Validation Rules
- Events
- Artisan Commands
- Configuration Reference
- Common Patterns
- Version Compatibility
- Credits
- License
This package adds state support to your Eloquent models. It lets you represent each state as a separate class, handles serialization to the database behind the scenes, and provides a clean API for state transitions with full authorization and audit capabilities.
Example: Imagine an Order model with states: Pending, Processing, Shipped, Delivered, and Cancelled. Each state can have its own color for UI, permitted roles for authorization, and the transitions between them are explicit and validated.
// Check the current state
$order->state->name(); // 'pending'
$order->state->color(); // 'yellow'
// Get available transitions for the current user
$order->getNextStates(); // [Processing::class, Cancelled::class]
// Perform a transition with full audit trail
$order->transitionTo(Processing::class, reason: 'Order confirmed by warehouse');In traditional Laravel applications, state management is typically handled with simple string columns and scattered conditional logic:
// Legacy approach β manual state management everywhere
if ($order->status === 'pending') {
$order->update(['status' => 'processing']);
}
π Now answer these questions:
// 1. What states can this order transition to RIGHT NOW?
// 2. What buttons should I show the user in the UI?
// 3. Which users are ALLOWED to perform each transition?
// 4. Where is my complete workflow defined? (Check 10+ files?)
// 5. What's the audit trail for this state change?
// 6. How do I prevent invalid transitions like pending β shipped?
// 7. How do I store a reason or note explaining WHY this transition happened?
// 8. How do I query all orders "stuck" in a specific state?
// 9. What color/icon should represent each state in the UI?
// 10. How do I serialize state data consistently for my API/SPA?
// 11. How do I fire events when specific transitions occur?
// 12. How do I rollback or revert to a previous state if needed?
Scattered Workflow Definition
- Transitions defined across multiple files β no single source of truth
- To understand your workflow, you must open every file and mentally piece together the graph
- Refactoring is risky β changing one state might break transitions you forgot about
- No way to export or visualize the complete workflow as a diagram
- State dependencies are implicit β you discover them only when something breaks
Frontend/Backend Synchronization Gap
- Views must hardcode which buttons to show for each state
- No built-in way to query available transitions from current state
- UI metadata (colors, icons, labels) lives outside the state machine
- State labels must be duplicated in frontend code β prone to drift
- No TypeScript types generated for frontend consumption
- No way to get human-readable names or descriptions from backend
Missing Enterprise Features
- No permission system β you build authorization logic from scratch
- No audit trail β state changes vanish without history tracking
- No API resources β serializing states for SPAs requires manual work
- No transition metadata β who can perform it, what requirements exist
- No way to attach context to transitions (reasons, notes, actor info)
- No guards for complex conditional transition logic
- No hooks for state-specific business logic (entering/exiting a state)
Data & Querying Limitations
- No efficient scopes to query models by current state
- No way to find models "stuck" in certain states for too long
- State history not queryable β cannot analyze transition patterns
- No reversion capability β cannot rollback to a previous state
Testing & Maintenance Burden
- Hard to visualize complete state flow without documentation
- Difficult to test all transition paths systematically
- State machine grows silently complex as features are added
- Cannot programmatically list all possible transition paths
- Documentation drifts from actual code β no single source of truth
- No IDE support for navigating from state to its allowed transitions
StateFlow supports two approaches for defining your state machine:
| Approach | Best For | Transitions Defined In |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional | Self-contained states, IDE navigation | State classes or model |
| Hybrid Enum | Centralized workflow visualization | Single enum file |
Both approaches are demonstrated in the laravel-stateflow-demo: Orders (traditional) and Bookings (enum).
Laravel StateFlow solves this with centralized workflow definition β see your entire state machine at a glance:
// π app/Enums/BookingStateStatus.php β Complete topology in ONE place!
enum BookingStateStatus: string
{
case Draft = 'draft';
case Confirmed = 'confirmed';
case Paid = 'paid';
case Fulfilled = 'fulfilled';
case Cancelled = 'cancelled';
public function canTransitionTo(): array
{
return match ($this) {
self::Draft => [Confirmed::class],
self::Confirmed => [Paid::class, Cancelled::class],
self::Paid => [Fulfilled::class, Cancelled::class],
self::Fulfilled, self::Cancelled => [], // Final states
};
}
}// π― app/Models/Booking.php β Clean, 3-line configuration!
class Booking extends Model implements HasStatesContract
{
use HasStates;
public static function registerStates(): void
{
static::addState('state', StateConfig::make(BookingState::class)
->default(Draft::class)
->registerStates(BookingStateStatus::stateClasses())
->allowTransitionsFromArray(BookingStateStatus::transitions())
);
}
}π‘ See it live: BookingStateStatus.php γ» Booking.php γ» Docs
Laravel StateFlow provides enterprise features like automatic state discovery, rich UI metadata, built-in permissions, complete audit trails, and seamless Eloquent integration:
| Feature | β | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Generate enum from states | β | Create workflow enum from existing state classes | php artisan stateflow:sync-enum γ» Docs |
| Automatic next states | β | Discover available transitions from current state | OrderController.php γ» Docs |
| UI metadata | β | Colors, icons, titles for frontend integration | Pending.php γ» Docs |
| Eloquent integration | β | Cast-based approach with clean, Laravel-native syntax | Order.php |
| Role-based permissions | β | Control transitions by user roles | Processing.php γ» Docs |
| Policy-based permissions | β | Use Laravel policies for transition authorization | OrderPolicy.php γ» Docs |
| State history & audit | β | Complete transition history with performer tracking | OrderController.php#show γ» Docs |
| API Resources | β | Ready-to-use JSON responses for states | Docs |
| Advanced query scopes | β | orderByState, countByState, averageTimeInState |
Docs |
| Silent transitions | β | Transition without firing events | Docs |
| Force transitions | β | Bypass validation for admin overrides | Docs |
| Fluent transition API | β | Clean, chainable API for transitions | Docs |
| Centralized enum transitions | β | Define state topology in a single enum for clarity | BookingStateStatus.php γ» Docs |
composer require hpwebdeveloper/laravel-stateflowPublish the config (optional):
php artisan vendor:publish --tag="laravel-stateflow-config"For history tracking, publish and run migrations:
php artisan vendor:publish --tag="laravel-stateflow-migrations"
php artisan migrateAdd a state column to the model that will have state transitions. For example, if you have an Order model:
// In a migration file
Schema::table('orders', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->string('state')->default('pending');
});Note: Replace
orderswith your table name (e.g.,posts,invoices,tickets).
Generate all state classes at once using the --states option:
php artisan make:state OrderState --states=Pending,Processing,Shipped,Delivered,CancelledThis single command creates the base class and all extending state classes:
app/States/
βββ OrderState.php # Abstract base class
βββ Pending.php
βββ Processing.php
βββ Shipped.php
βββ Delivered.php
βββ Cancelled.php
Alternative: You can also create states individually:
php artisan make:state OrderState --base
php artisan make:state Pending --extends=OrderState
php artisan make:state Processing --extends=OrderState
# ... and so onπ‘ See the demo: The laravel-stateflow-demo uses this structure β see States/Order/ for a complete example.
β οΈ Important: Keep all state classes in the same directory as their base state class. When adding new states later, use the full namespace:php artisan make:state Processing --extends=App\\States\\Booking\\BookingStateThe
stateflow:sync-enumcommand only discovers states in the same directory as the base class.
StateFlow supports multiple approaches for defining state metadata: Methods, Attributes, and Constants. The demo uses a combined approach β attributes for static metadata (title, description) and methods for dynamic values (color(), icon()).
// app/States/Order/Pending.php
use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\Attributes\DefaultState;
use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\Attributes\StateMetadata;
use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\Attributes\AllowTransition;
#[DefaultState]
#[StateMetadata(title: 'Pending', description: 'Order is pending confirmation')]
#[AllowTransition(to: Processing::class)]
#[AllowTransition(to: Cancelled::class)]
class Pending extends OrderState
{
public const NAME = 'pending';
public static function color(): string { return 'yellow'; }
public static function icon(): string { return 'clock'; }
}π‘ See the demo: Pending.php and States/Order/
For teams who prefer seeing the entire workflow at a glance, use an enum to define the transition topology. State classes still handle behavior (colors, icons, metadata).
# Create states with enum scaffold
php artisan make:state BookingState --states=Draft,Confirmed,Paid,Fulfilled,Cancelled,Expired --transitions=enumThe Enum β Shows all transitions in one place:
// app/Enums/BookingStateStatus.php
enum BookingStateStatus: string
{
case Draft = 'draft';
case Confirmed = 'confirmed';
case Paid = 'paid';
case Fulfilled = 'fulfilled';
case Cancelled = 'cancelled';
case Expired = 'expired';
/**
* π Complete workflow topology at a glance!
*/
public function canTransitionTo(): array
{
return match ($this) {
self::Draft => [Confirmed::class, Expired::class],
self::Confirmed => [Paid::class, Cancelled::class, Expired::class],
self::Paid => [Fulfilled::class, Cancelled::class],
// Final states β no transitions
self::Fulfilled, self::Cancelled, self::Expired => [],
};
}
public function stateClass(): string { /* maps to state class */ }
public static function stateClasses(): array { /* all state classes */ }
public static function transitions(): array { /* for StateConfig */ }
}State classes remain simple (behavior only, no transitions):
// app/States/Booking/Draft.php
#[DefaultState]
#[StateMetadata(title: 'Draft', description: 'Booking in draft')]
class Draft extends BookingState
{
public const NAME = 'draft';
public static function color(): string { return 'gray'; }
}π‘ See the demo: BookingStateStatus.php and States/Booking/
π Learn more: See Defining States and Transitions for detailed comparison of all approaches.
use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\HasStates;
use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\HasStatesContract;
use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\StateConfig;
class Order extends Model implements HasStatesContract
{
use HasStates;
public static function registerStates(): void
{
static::addState('state', StateConfig::make(OrderState::class)
->default(Pending::class)
->registerStates([
Pending::class,
Processing::class,
Shipped::class,
Delivered::class,
Cancelled::class,
])
->allowTransition(Pending::class, Processing::class)
->allowTransition(Pending::class, Cancelled::class)
->allowTransition(Processing::class, Shipped::class)
->allowTransition(Processing::class, Cancelled::class)
->allowTransition(Shipped::class, Delivered::class)
);
}
}π‘ See the demo: Order.php
With the enum approach, your model becomes remarkably clean:
use App\Enums\BookingStateStatus;
use App\States\Booking\{BookingState, Draft};
class Booking extends Model implements HasStatesContract
{
use HasStates;
public static function registerStates(): void
{
static::addState('state', StateConfig::make(BookingState::class)
->default(Draft::class)
->registerStates(BookingStateStatus::stateClasses())
->allowTransitionsFromArray(BookingStateStatus::transitions())
);
}
}Benefits of the enum approach:
- β 3 lines instead of 10+ for state configuration
- β All transitions visible in one file (the enum)
- β Easy to generate workflow diagrams
- β Share workflows across multiple models
π‘ See the demo: Booking.php
π Learn more: See Defining States and Transitions for all approaches.
Generate enum from existing state classes:
php artisan stateflow:sync-enum App\\States\\Order\\OrderState
# Creates App\Enums\OrderStateStatus with all discovered states!Naming Convention: By default, the command creates
{BaseStateClass}Status(e.g.,OrderStateβOrderStateStatus). Use--enum=App\Enums\YourCustomNameto specify a different name.
β οΈ Directory Requirement: The sync command only discovers state classes in the same directory as the base state class. If you add new states later, ensure they are in the correct directory (e.g.,app/States/Order/forOrderState).
Enable history tracking: Add ->recordHistory() to your StateConfig and use the HasStateHistory trait. See History Tracking.
$order = Order::create(['customer_name' => 'John Doe']);
// Check current state
$order->state; // Pending instance
$order->state->name(); // 'pending'
$order->isInState('pending'); // true
// Check allowed transitions
$order->canTransitionTo('processing'); // true
$order->canTransitionTo('shipped'); // false (must process first)
$order->getNextStates(); // [Processing::class, Cancelled::class]
// Transition
$result = $order->transitionTo('processing');
$result->succeeded(); // true
$order->state->name(); // 'processing'π‘ Full Example: See the laravel-stateflow-demo for a complete implementation β Order.php (model), OrderController.php (controller), and States/Order/ (state classes).
States are stored in the database using their NAME constant value:
// Creating with a state class
$order = Order::create([
'state' => Processing::class, // Stored as 'processing' in DB
]);
// The package handles serialization automatically
$order->state; // Returns Processing instance
$order->state->name(); // 'processing'Tip: You can use class names (e.g.,
Processing::class) throughout your code - the package handles mapping to/from database values.
// Get all states for the model (grouped by field)
Order::getStates();
// Returns: ['state' => ['pending', 'processing', 'shipped', 'delivered', 'cancelled']]
// Get states for a specific field
Order::getStatesFor('state');
// Returns: ['pending', 'processing', 'shipped', 'delivered', 'cancelled']
// Get default states
Order::getDefaultStates();
// Returns: ['state' => 'pending']
// Get default for specific field
Order::getDefaultStateFor('state');
// Returns: 'pending'// Get state classes you can transition to from current state
$order->getNextStates();
// Returns: [Processing::class, Cancelled::class] (when in pending state)
// Count available transitions
count($order->getNextStates());
// Returns: 2
// Check if any transitions available
$order->hasNextStates();
// Returns: true
// Check specific transition
$order->canTransitionTo(Processing::class);
// Returns: true{{-- Display current state with color badge --}}
<span class="badge" style="background-color: {{ $order->state->color() }}">
{{ $order->state->title() }}
</span>
{{-- Show available transition buttons --}}
@foreach($order->getNextStates() as $nextStateClass)
<form action="{{ route('orders.transition', $order) }}" method="POST">
@csrf
<input type="hidden" name="state" value="{{ $nextStateClass::name() }}">
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-{{ $nextStateClass::color() }}">
<i class="{{ $nextStateClass::icon() }}"></i>
{{ $nextStateClass::title() }}
</button>
</form>
@endforeach$result = $order->transitionTo('processing');
if ($result->succeeded()) {
// Transition completed
}
if ($result->failed()) {
echo $result->error; // Error message
}$result = $order->transitionTo(
state: Shipped::class,
reason: 'Shipped via FedEx',
metadata: ['tracking_number' => 'FX123456789']
);$result = $order->transition()
->to(Shipped::class)
->reason('Order shipped')
->metadata(['carrier' => 'FedEx'])
->execute();$order->transitionToWithoutEvents('processing');$order->forceTransitionTo('delivered');StateFlow provides flexible permission control through role-based and policy-based authorization. Control who can perform state transitions based on user roles, ownership, or complex business logic.
π Complete Permissions Documentation
Quick example:
// Role-based: Define permitted roles in state class
#[StatePermission(roles: ['admin', 'warehouse'])]
class Shipped extends OrderState {}
// Policy-based: Complex authorization logic
class OrderPolicy {
public function transitionToShipped(User $user, Order $order): bool {
return $user->hasRole('warehouse') && $order->isPaid();
}
}
// Check permissions
$order->userCanTransitionTo($user, 'shipped');use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\Concerns\HasStateHistory;
class Order extends Model implements HasStatesContract
{
use HasStates, HasStateHistory;
}// Get all history
$order->stateHistory;
// Get history for specific field
$order->stateHistoryFor('state');
// Get previous state
$order->previousState();
// Get initial state
$order->initialState();$history = $order->stateHistory->first();
$history->from_state; // 'pending'
$history->to_state; // 'processing'
$history->reason; // 'Order confirmed by warehouse'
$history->performer; // User model
$history->metadata; // ['key' => 'value']
$history->transitioned_at;π‘ See it in action: The demo shows complete history tracking with a timeline UI β see OrderController.php for how history is queried and formatted.
use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\Http\Resources\StateResource;
// Single state
return StateResource::make($order->state);
// All available states
return StateResource::collection($order->getAvailableStates());
// Response format
{
"name": "pending",
"title": "Pending",
"color": "yellow",
"icon": "clock",
"description": "Order is pending confirmation",
"is_current": true,
"can_transition_to": true,
"allowed_transitions": ["processing", "cancelled"]
}public function show(Order $order)
{
return [
'order' => $order,
'current_state' => StateResource::make($order->state),
'available_states' => StateResource::collection(
$order->getAvailableStates()
),
];
}// By state
Order::whereState('shipped')->get();
Order::whereNotState('pending')->get();
Order::whereStateIn(['pending', 'processing'])->get();
// By transition capability
Order::whereCanTransitionTo('shipped')->get();
// History-based
Order::whereWasEverInState('processing')->get();
Order::whereNeverInState('cancelled')->get();use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\Validation\StateRule;
use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\Validation\TransitionRule;
// Validate state value
$request->validate([
'state' => ['required', StateRule::make(OrderState::class)],
]);
// Validate transition is allowed
$request->validate([
'new_state' => ['required', TransitionRule::make($order)],
]);use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\Events\StateTransitioning;
use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\Events\StateTransitioned;
use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\Events\TransitionFailed;
// In EventServiceProvider
protected $listen = [
StateTransitioning::class => [
ValidateInventory::class,
],
StateTransitioned::class => [
SendOrderNotification::class,
UpdateInventory::class,
],
TransitionFailed::class => [
LogFailure::class,
],
];// StateTransitioned event
$event->model; // The model
$event->field; // 'state'
$event->fromState; // 'pending'
$event->toState; // 'processing'
$event->performer; // User who performed transition
$event->reason; // Reason string
$event->metadata; // Additional data# Generate state class
php artisan make:state Pending --extends=OrderState
# Generate base state class
php artisan make:state OrderState --base
# Generate all states at once
php artisan make:state OrderState --states=Pending,Processing,Shipped,Delivered
# Generate enum from existing state classes
php artisan stateflow:sync-enum App\\States\\Order\\OrderState
# Or with custom enum name:
php artisan stateflow:sync-enum App\\States\\Order\\OrderState --enum=App\\Enums\\OrderWorkflow
# Generate transition class
php artisan make:transition ShipOrder
# List all states for a model
php artisan stateflow:list "App\Models\Order"
# Audit state configurations
php artisan stateflow:auditπ Key Feature: The
stateflow:sync-enumcommand scans your state directory and generates a workflow enum with all discovered states. This creates an enum withstateClasses(),canTransitionTo(), andtransitions()methods ready for use in your model'sregisterStates()method.
// config/laravel-stateflow.php
return [
// Default database column for state
'default_state_field' => 'state',
// Directory for generated state classes
'states_directory' => 'States',
// History tracking
'history' => [
'enabled' => true,
'table' => 'state_histories',
'prune_after_days' => null,
],
// Permission system
'permissions' => [
'enabled' => true,
'role_based' => true,
'policy_based' => false,
'throw_on_unauthorized' => true,
],
// Event dispatching
'events' => [
'enabled' => true,
],
];class Order extends Model implements HasStatesContract
{
use HasStates;
public static function registerStates(): void
{
static::addState('state', StateConfig::make(OrderState::class)
->default(Pending::class)
->allowTransition(Pending::class, Processing::class)
->allowTransition(Processing::class, Shipped::class)
->allowTransition(Shipped::class, Delivered::class)
->allowTransition(Pending::class, Cancelled::class)
->allowTransition(Processing::class, Cancelled::class)
);
}
}π‘ See this in action: The laravel-stateflow-demo demonstrates this workflow β see Order.php for the model and OrderController.php for the controller implementation.
public static function registerStates(): void
{
// Order status (main workflow)
static::addState('state', StateConfig::make(OrderState::class)
->default(Pending::class)
->allowTransition(Pending::class, Processing::class)
->allowTransition(Processing::class, Shipped::class)
->allowTransition(Shipped::class, Delivered::class)
->allowTransition(Pending::class, Cancelled::class)
->allowTransition(Processing::class, Cancelled::class)
);
// Payment status (separate workflow)
static::addState('payment_status', StateConfig::make(PaymentStatus::class)
->default(Unpaid::class)
->allowTransition(Unpaid::class, Paid::class)
->allowTransition(Paid::class, Refunded::class)
);
}
// Usage
$order->transitionTo(Processing::class, field: 'state');
$order->transitionTo(Paid::class, field: 'payment_status');php artisan make:transition ShipOrder// app/Transitions/ShipOrder.php
use Hpwebdeveloper\LaravelStateflow\Transition;
class ShipOrder extends Transition
{
public function handle(): void
{
$this->model->shipped_at = now();
$this->model->save();
// Send notification, update inventory, etc.
}
public function canTransition(): bool
{
return $this->model->shipping_address !== null
&& $this->model->total > 0;
}
}Register in config:
->allowTransition(Processing::class, Shipped::class, ShipOrder::class)The handle() method supports dependency injection via Laravel's container:
use App\Services\NotificationService;
use App\Services\InventoryService;
class ShipOrder extends Transition
{
public function handle(
NotificationService $notifications,
InventoryService $inventory
): void {
$this->model->shipped_at = now();
$this->model->save();
// Services are automatically resolved from the container
$notifications->sendShippedNotification($this->model);
$inventory->decrementStock($this->model->items);
}
}This allows for clean separation of concerns and easier testing through dependency mocking.
| Package Version | Laravel Versions | PHP Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.x | 12.x | 8.3+ | Active support |
Note: The package is currently built for Laravel 12 with PHP 8.3+. Support for earlier Laravel versions may be added in future releases.
- Hamed Panjeh
- All Contributors
- Icon in the above image: Flow Chart by Bernd Lakenbrink from Noun Project (CC BY 3.0)
The MIT License (MIT). See License File for more information.
