Meetable

Meetable is a lightweight, self‑hosted event aggregation platform built on Laravel 10+. It exposes a REST‑like API for creating, updating, and querying events while rendering a fully functional web interface that supports markdown, iCal feeds, and Webmention integration. The core goal is to provide a minimal yet extensible stack that developers can drop into existing PHP ecosystems or container‑oriented deployments without a heavyweight framework.

Technical Stack & Architecture

• Runtime: PHP 8.2+ with Composer‑managed dependencies.
• Framework: Laravel 10, leveraging its Eloquent ORM, Blade templating, and built‑in queue system.
• Database: MySQL/MariaDB (optionally PostgreSQL if swapped in). All event data, tags, RSVPs, and media metadata are stored in relational tables with standard foreign‑key relationships.
• Caching: Optional Redis for session handling and queued job processing; falls back to file‑based cache when absent.
• Queueing: Laravel’s queue driver supports Redis, database, or sync. Background workers handle tasks such as generating iCal files, sending email notifications, and processing Webmentions.
• API: RESTful routes (/api/events, /api/tags) expose CRUD operations. Endpoints return JSON, and Laravel’s resource classes provide consistent serialization. CORS is enabled by default for external consumption.

Core Capabilities

• Event Lifecycle: Create, edit, delete events with full markdown support. Events expose a public permalink that includes cover photos, location, time zone conversion links, and RSVP functionality for authenticated users.
• Tagging System: Many‑to‑many relationship between events and tags. Popular tags are surfaced on the home page; tag pages have their own iCal feeds.
• Calendar Integration: Every list view (home, tag, archive) publishes an iCal feed. Individual events offer an “Add to Calendar” link that generates either a downloadable .ics file or a Google‑Calendar URL.
• Webmention: Event pages accept Webmentions, allowing external sites to post photos or notes that automatically appear on the event page. This is useful for community‑driven content aggregation.
• User Management: Laravel’s auth scaffolding is used for login, enabling features such as RSVP and photo uploads.

Deployment & Infrastructure

Meetable is designed for self‑hosting, with minimal external dependencies:

• Containerization: A Dockerfile is included (not shown here) that builds a PHP‑CLI + Apache image, making it trivial to run in Kubernetes, Docker Compose, or ECS. The application’s public folder is the web root; nginx or Apache can be configured to serve it.
• Scalability: Horizontal scaling is straightforward—multiple PHP workers behind a load balancer, with Redis shared across instances. The database layer can be replicated or sharded if needed.
• Background Workers: Developers should run php artisan queue:listen or a cron‑driven queue:work. In production, Supervisor or systemd units can manage these processes.

Integration & Extensibility

• Plugin Hooks: While the core is intentionally minimal, Laravel’s service container and event system allow developers to inject custom services or listeners. For example, a webhook listener can trigger Slack notifications when an event is created.
• Webhooks: The API emits events (e.g., event.created) that can be consumed by external services via Laravel’s event broadcasting or custom middleware.
• Custom Themes: Blade templates can be overridden in a new theme package, enabling UI customization without touching core logic.
• OAuth: The README references events.oauth.net, indicating support for OAuth authentication, which can be extended to integrate with external identity providers.

Developer Experience

• Configuration: All settings live in the .env file—database credentials, Redis URL, mail driver, etc. Laravel’s built‑in configuration caching (php artisan config:cache) speeds up production deployments.
• Documentation: The README covers installation, but the Laravel ecosystem offers extensive docs for each component (Eloquent, queues, events). Community support is strong; the project’s GitHub issues and pull requests provide real‑world examples.
• Testing: Laravel’s PHPUnit integration allows developers to write feature tests for API endpoints, ensuring backward compatibility when extending the platform.

Use Cases

1. Community Event Hubs – IndieWeb groups, local meetup chapters, or open‑source conferences can deploy Meetable to publish schedules and collect RSVPs.
2. Internal Company Calendars – Organizations can host a private instance, exposing iCal feeds to Slack or Outlook while using Webmentions for internal announcements.
3. Event Aggregation Services – Developers can build a front‑end that consumes Meetable’s API, aggregating events from multiple instances into a unified feed.
4. Educational Platforms – Universities can host Meetable to showcase seminars, workshops, and student‑run events with minimal overhead.

Advantages Over Alternatives

• Zero‑Configuration Simplicity – No need for a full CMS; the codebase is lean, focusing solely on events.
• Open Source & MIT License – No licensing fees or vendor lock‑in; developers can modify core logic to fit niche requirements.
• Performance – Built on Laravel, it benefits from mature caching and queueing mechanisms while remaining lightweight enough for a single‑container deployment.
• Extensibility – The event/Webmention architecture encourages community contributions; developers can add custom fields, integrations, or UI components without breaking core functionality.

In summary, Meet