A ready-to-go project starter for Vela.build — clone once, customise forever, receive updates via Composer.
This repository is the starting point for new Vela-powered sites. It provides a standard Laravel application pre-configured with the Vela Core package. You clone it once to begin your project, then never pull from this repo again — all CMS updates arrive through the velabuild/core Composer package.
- PHP 8.1+
- Composer
- MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB 10.3+ / PostgreSQL 10+
- Node.js 16+ (for asset compilation)
The easiest way to get started — no command line required.
- Clone the starter and point your web server at the
public/directory:
git clone https://github.com/velabuild/cms.git my-site-
Visit your site in a browser. You'll be automatically redirected to the installation wizard, which walks you through:
- Requirements check — PHP version, extensions, directory permissions
- Database & environment — enter your database credentials, site name, and URL. The installer tests the connection and writes your
.envfile automatically. - Dependencies — installs Composer packages (downloads Composer itself if needed)
- Database setup — runs migrations, seeds permissions and roles, creates the storage symlink
- Admin account — create your first admin user
- Finalize — generates static files and marks the installation as complete
Once finished, the installer disables itself and you're taken straight to the admin panel.
If you prefer the command line, or are setting up in a CI/CD pipeline:
git clone https://github.com/velabuild/cms.git my-site
cd my-site
composer install
cp .env.example .env
php artisan key:generateEdit .env with your database credentials, site details, and API keys, then run:
php artisan vela:installThis will publish config and assets, run migrations, seed default data, create the storage symlink, and prompt you to create an admin user.
Detach from the starter repo — this is your project now:
git remote remove origin
git remote add origin <your-own-repo-url>To build native Android/iOS apps with Capacitor:
php artisan vela:app-initThis creates a Capacitor project in /capacitor/, installs platform dependencies, and generates the config from your site settings.
CMS updates are delivered through Composer. Your site-level customisations (templates, config, routes, app overrides) are untouched by updates:
composer update velabuild/coreAfter updating, check for new migrations or publishable assets:
php artisan migrate
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=vela-assets --force├── app/ # Your application overrides
│ ├── Http/ # Custom controllers, middleware
│ ├── Models/ # Custom models (extend Vela models if needed)
│ └── Providers/ # App service providers
├── config/
│ └── vela.php # Vela configuration (override package defaults)
├── database/
│ └── seeders/ # Your custom seeders
├── public/ # Web root
├── resources/
│ ├── views/ # Override Vela views here
│ ├── lang/vendor/vela/ # Translation overrides (published from core)
│ └── static/ # Static site cache
├── routes/
│ └── web.php # Your custom routes
├── storage/ # Logs, cache, uploads
└── tests/ # Your tests
Set your active template in .env:
SITE_TEMPLATE=my-template
Or in config/vela.php:
'template' => [
'active' => 'my-template',
],Publish Vela views to customise them:
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=vela-viewsPublished views in resources/views/vendor/vela/ take priority over the package views.
All translations ship with Vela Core and update automatically. To override specific strings:
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=vela-langPublished translations in resources/lang/vendor/vela/ take priority. Only override what you need — unpublished keys continue to receive updates from core.
All Vela configuration can be overridden in config/vela.php. See the file for available options including route prefixes, middleware, languages, AI providers, and image optimisation settings.
Configure one or more AI providers in .env:
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
GEMINI_API_KEY=...
AI_TEXT_PROVIDER=openai
AI_IMAGE_PROVIDER=gemini
php artisan testOr directly:
vendor/bin/phpunitIf you discover a security vulnerability, please email m@awcode.com instead of opening a public issue.
Vela CMS is open-source software licensed under the MIT License.