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Getting Started

Installing Verge

Section titled “Installing Verge”
Terminal window
composer require verge/verge

Building Your First App

Section titled “Building Your First App”

Create index.php:

<?php


require 'vendor/autoload.php';


app()
    ->get('/', fn() => 'Hello Verge')
    ->run();

Start PHP’s built-in server:

Terminal window
php -S localhost:8000 index.php

Visit http://localhost:8000. That’s it. You have a working web app.

Understanding the app() Helper

Section titled “Understanding the app() Helper”

The app() helper returns a global singleton instance of your application. This means you can define routes and configure services from anywhere in your codebase, and they all register to the same app:

<?php


require 'vendor/autoload.php';


// Define your routes
app()
    ->get('/', fn() => 'Welcome')
    ->get('/about', fn() => 'About us');


// Configure dependencies
app()
    ->singleton('db', fn() => new Database())
    ->bind(UserRepository::class, PostgresUserRepository::class);


app()->run();

This approach makes Verge feel more like Express or Hono if you’re coming from JavaScript. Split your routes across multiple files, require them in your entry point, and everything just works.

When You Need Isolation

Section titled “When You Need Isolation”

Sometimes you need a fresh app instance that doesn’t share global state. This is common in testing or when embedding multiple mini-apps in the same process:

use Verge\App;


$app = App::create();
$app->get('/', fn() => 'Isolated instance');

App::create() gives you a new instance every time, bypassing the singleton. Use this when you want explicit control over the app lifecycle.

Organizing Larger Applications

Section titled “Organizing Larger Applications”

As your app grows, you’ll want to organize routes and configuration into logical chunks. Verge uses modules for this - callables that receive the app and configure it:

<?php


require 'vendor/autoload.php';


// Define a module
$routes = function ($app) {
    $app->get('/', fn() => 'Home');
    $app->get('/about', fn() => 'About');
};


// Register it
app()->module($routes);
app()->run();

Modules can define routes, register services, or wire up event listeners. Think of them as configuration bundles. We’ll cover this pattern in depth later, but it’s good to know it exists as your app outgrows a single file.

What’s Next?

Section titled “What’s Next?”