Comparison

Cordon Modulith is not the only way to keep a Laravel codebase in shape. Here is an honest comparison to help you choose, or combine.

Deptrac

Deptrac is the reference static architecture checker for PHP. You define layers with collectors (by namespace, directory, class name, inheritance...) and which layers may depend on which.

• What it does well: framework-agnostic, very flexible, mature, fast, with caching, a baseline and several output formats. It can express layered rules inside modules.
• What Cordon Modulith adds: module discovery from nwidart, InterNACHI or app/Modules with no layer definitions; a public API model per module (public namespaces, #[PublicApi]/#[Internal], open modules) instead of "may depend on the whole layer"; cycle detection with the shortest path; Laravel integration (Artisan, Pest expectation, Boost skill, living documentation).
• Choose Deptrac when you need layered rules or you are not on Laravel. You can use both: Deptrac for layers inside modules, Cordon Modulith for the edges between them.

Pest arch()

Pest's architecture testing ships with Laravel's default test setup.

• What it does well: zero setup, readable expectations (expect('App\Models')->toExtend(Model::class)), presets, great for conventions inside a module.
• Limits for boundaries: expectations rely on reflection, so they only see classes that exist and can be autoloaded. They express namespace-to-namespace rules, so the notion of a module's public API, per-module depends_on, cycles and a baseline are left to you.
• Use both: arch() for conventions, expect('Billing')->toRespectBoundaries() for module boundaries.

laravel-true-modular

happenv-com/laravel-true-modular is a modular framework for Laravel: every module is a Composer package with declared dependencies, a deterministic boot order and extra lifecycle phases. Its companion PHPStan package detects undeclared cross-module references and cycles, and it provides commands such as module:graph, module:why and module:impact.

• What it does well: it owns the whole module lifecycle, so dependencies are declared once in composer.json and enforced at boot and in static analysis. Good fit for greenfield projects that want strong structure.
• Differences: Cordon Modulith does not create, register or boot modules: it is a dev dependency that works on top of the layout you already have (nwidart, InterNACHI, folders). It adds a public API model inside each module, a baseline for gradual adoption in existing projects, a Pest expectation and generated documentation.
• Choose laravel-true-modular when you want a framework for modules, not only verification. Check its documentation for its current feature set.

Packwerk and Spring Modulith

Cordon Modulith borrows from both: Packwerk's per-package dependencies and package_todo.yml (our depends_on and baseline), and Spring Modulith's named interfaces, verification in tests and generated documentation.