First Install

Introduction

EvoLayer Base provides structured AI streaming, a dynamic UI component block library, and a compiled ontology layer. The EvoLayer Base Starter is a complete Laravel application that pre-configures these features for you.

In this tutorial, you will scaffold a new project, build the frontend, and log into the admin dashboard to explore the AI integrations.

Prerequisites

Before you begin this guide, you will need:

Minimum PHP 8.4 installed and configured on your machine.
Composer installed globally.
Minimum Node.js 22 and npm installed for compiling frontend assets.
SQLite or PostgreSQL installed locally. (PostgreSQL is highly recommended for advanced AI features like pgvector).

Step 1 — Creating the Project

First, you will use Composer to create a new Laravel project based on the EvoLayer Starter. Composer will clone the repository, install the required PHP dependencies, and trigger a series of post-create hooks.

These hooks automatically create your .env file, generate an application key, create an SQLite database (database/database.sqlite), migrate the database schema, seed demo users, and compile the Wayfinder and Ontology caches.

Run the following command to create a project named my-app:

bash

composer create-project xuple/evolayer-base-starter my-app

You will see output similar to this as Composer scaffolds the project:

text

Creating a "xuple/evolayer-base-starter" project at "./my-app"
Installing xuple/evolayer-base-starter (v0.1.7)
  - Downloading xuple/evolayer-base-starter (v0.1.7)
  - Installing xuple/evolayer-base-starter (v0.1.7): Extracting archive
Created project in /path/to/my-app
...
> @php artisan migrate --seed --force
Migration table created successfully.
Database seeding completed successfully.

Once the installation completes, move into the newly created project directory:

bash

cd my-app

Step 2 — Building the Frontend Assets

With the backend dependencies installed and the database prepared, you must now compile the React frontend. The starter uses Tailwind CSS v4 and Vite.

First, install the Node dependencies:

bash

npm install

Next, build the production assets and the Server-Side Rendering (SSR) bundle:

bash

npm run build

*Note: If you plan to actively modify the frontend code, you can run npm run dev in a separate terminal instead to enable Hot Module Replacement (HMR).*

Step 3 — Starting the Development Server

You are now ready to serve the application locally. Laravel includes a built-in development server that is perfect for local testing.

Start the server using the serve Artisan command:

bash

php artisan serve

You will receive output confirming the server is running:

text

INFO  Server running on [http://127.0.0.1:8000].

  Press Ctrl+C to stop the server

Open your web browser and navigate to http://127.0.0.1:8000. You will see the public EvoLayer Base landing page outlining the available demo surfaces.

Step 4 — Exploring the Demo Surfaces

The application is pre-configured with several AI-powered tools, including ThreadStudio and PRD Studio. These surfaces are restricted to administrators.

To access these areas, navigate to http://127.0.0.1:8000/login and sign in using the seeded administrator credentials:

Email: [email protected]
Password: password

Upon logging in, you will be redirected to the Dashboard. Use the sidebar navigation on the left to explore the bundled examples.

Warning

The examples are fully functional, but features that interact with a Large Language Model (LLM) will fail until you provide valid API keys.

Conclusion

You have successfully installed the EvoLayer Base Starter, built the frontend assets, and logged into the administration panel.

Next, you can configure your AI provider or dive deeper into the framework architecture:

Configure AI Provider: Learn how to set up Gemini, OpenAI, or Anthropic API keys.
Environment Flags: Discover how to toggle specific demo surfaces and background features.
Framework vs Starter Kit: Understand the architecture and what parts of the codebase you own.
Ownership Model: Learn what is safe to modify and what should be kept pristine.
Artisan Commands: Explore the CLI commands available for testing AI streaming and ontology generation.