Laravel to Go: My Journey and the Creation of a Fiber API Boilerplate

After spending more than four years immersed in Laravel, I’ve become very familiar with the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture. Its simplicity and structure make it a joy to work with, and Laravel’s thoughtfully organized folders help developers stay on track. You always know where to place your code, and the extensive built-in tools—database connections, Redis, queues, migrations, ORM, and more—make setup seamless. With just a few tweaks to your environment, your app is ready to go.

For me, Laravel’s MVC approach remains one of the most robust. The Model defines your data, the View determines what users see, and the Controller manages your business logic. It’s simple yet structured, and Laravel delivers this setup by default, making it an excellent framework for development.

But as my career advanced and I worked across industries and businesses, I realized that Laravel’s MVC approach wasn’t always enough, especially for complex applications.

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Extending Laravel’s MVC for Complexity

MVC shines for simple applications but can fall short when logic becomes more intricate. For instance, when using Laravel for APIs, the View layer often goes unused. Meanwhile, putting all the logic in controllers can quickly lead to bloated files that are hard to maintain.

To address this, I extended Laravel’s MVC structure by introducing Service and Repository layers, creating a flow like this:

Controller → Service → Repository → Model

• Controller: Handles validation and directs the application flow.
• Service: Manages business logic, broken into reusable functions.
• Repository: Manages database interactions.
• Model: Defines the data structure.

This layered approach makes the code more maintainable and scalable. Over time, I became so accustomed to this structure that it felt natural to adopt it in other projects.

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Enter Go: A Whole New Challenge

When I started working with Go (Golang), it felt like stepping into uncharted territory. Go is quite different from PHP and lacks an inherent folder structure. It’s also not an object-oriented language, so I couldn’t simply replicate what I knew from Laravel.

After some trial and error, I decided to stick with what I was familiar with: the CSRM concept (Controller, Service, Repository, Model). I adapted this structure to Go, even though it required some creative thinking. Additionally, I explored frameworks that could simplify development. I tried Gin and Fiber, ultimately choosing Fiber for its speed, modern features, and active community.

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The Birth of My Fiber API Boilerplate

After more than two years of working with Go and Fiber, I decided to create a boilerplate to streamline API development. This wasn’t just for me—I wanted to help others quickly set up their projects too.

The result: Fiber API Boilerplate.

This boilerplate is specifically for APIs, so it doesn’t include features like view rendering or template engines. The folder structure takes inspiration from:

• Golang Project Layout Standards
• Ayoub Zulfiqar’s Project Layout Gist

I also borrowed many ideas from Laravel, such as ORM, database connections, Redis, queues, and authentication. While it’s not as comprehensive as Laravel, it’s more than sufficient for building general APIs.

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Features of the Boilerplate

Here’s what the boilerplate currently offers:

1. Authentication: Simplified user management out of the box.
2. Error Reporting: Integrated with Sentry.
3. Application Monitoring: Uses New Relic for real-time insights.
4. Hot Reload: Includes Air for faster development.
5. Static Code Checks: Uses GolangCI-Lint.
6. API Documentation: Built-in Swagger support via Swag.
7. Dependency Injection: Powered by Google Wire.
8. Deployment: Comes with Docker and Supervisor for seamless deployment.

The repository also includes example code and a detailed README to guide you through each folder and feature.

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Building for the Future

While the boilerplate is already functional, I have plans to expand it further by adding tools like migrations, event listeners, and commands. It’s an evolving project designed to grow with its users.

You’re welcome to explore and use the boilerplate. Feel free to customize it—add tools you like or remove ones you don’t need. If you have suggestions or feature requests, create an issue or submit a pull request.

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Get Started

Check out the Fiber API Boilerplate and take it for a spin. I hope it helps simplify your Go API development journey as much as it has for me. Let’s build something amazing together!

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