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Laravel Approval Engine

Stop Email Spam. Start Smart Approvals.

A modular, batch-based, multi-stage approval workflow engine for Laravel. Designed for real-world enterprise workflows -- it handles high-volume enterprise requests into actionable notification batches with email-based approvals and fully configurable stages..

Demo (Real Workflow)

👉 Create Request → Batch → Approval → Timeline → Done

🚧 Demo GIF coming soon (actively working on UI)

Meanwhile, you can test locally:

🏗️ Active Development (UI Layer)

We are currently building the frontend components to provide a full "Plug & Play" experience.

👉 Note: Screenshots and a full Demo GIF will be added in upcoming releases as the UI components are finalized.

Why This Package? Solving "Approval Fatigue"

In most enterprise systems:

• Email Spam: 100 purchase requests = 100 separate emails to the Manager. 😓
• Hardcoded Logic: Approval steps are buried inside Controllers or Models.
• No Escalation: No built-in way to remind pending approvers or escalate.

Laravel Approval Engine solves this by separating the Workflow Logic from your Business Models and grouping requests into smart batches.

Key Features

• 📦 Smart Batching: Group 50 records into 1 single email/notification.
• ⛓️ Multi-Stage Workflows: Define paths like Requisition -> HOS -> COO -> Finance.
• 🔗 Secure Token-Based Approval: Approve or Reject directly from email or Slack via expiring secure links.
• 🧩 Zero-Coupling: Works with any Eloquent model without altering your schema.
• ⏳ Escalation Engine: (v2.0) Automatic reminders and "Escalate to Higher Role" logic.
• 🚀 IAM Ready: Integrates with Laravel IAM for scoped authority.

Engineering Philosophy

This package is built on a simple belief:

Workflow logic should not live inside controllers or models.

Modern systems require:

• Separation of concerns
• Scalable architecture
• Configurable business logic

Instead of hardcoding approval flows, this engine provides:

• ✅ Modular workflow design (plug & play modules)
• ✅ Headless architecture (UI-agnostic, API-first)
• ✅ Database-driven configuration (no redeploy needed)
• ✅ IAM-based authorization (not role hardcoding)

This allows teams to evolve workflows without rewriting core logic.

Architectural Maturity

The PHP ecosystem is evolving beyond framework defaults toward clean, scalable architecture.

Recent industry trends emphasize:

• Moving from fat controllers → Action & DTO-based architecture
• Designing configurable, database-driven systems
• Building enterprise-grade workflow engines and scoring systems
• Reducing dependency on external SaaS by building in-house solutions
• Improving observability, auditability, and system transparency

At Apurba Labs, this is not a trend — it’s the foundation.

Our systems are designed to:

• Be modular and extensible
• Support complex business logic (workflows, approvals, IAM)
• Operate in high-scale, event-driven environments
• Remain framework-agnostic and future-proof

How This Project Aligns

Laravel Approval Engine is built following modern architectural principles:

• ✅ Action-driven workflow execution (no fat controllers)
• ✅ IAM-based authorization (permission-first, not role-only)
• ✅ Modular workflow modules (plug & play architecture)
• ✅ Database-driven workflow configuration
• ✅ Full auditability of approval lifecycle
• ✅ Batch-based processing for high-volume systems

This makes the engine suitable for enterprise-grade applications and SaaS platforms.

Example Use Cases

• 🧾 Requisition Approval (HOS → COO)
• 💰 Invoice Approval (Manager → Finance → CFO)
• 🛒 Purchase Workflow
• 🧑‍💼 Leave Approval System

How It Works

⏱ Escalation & Reminder Flow

Quick Start (2 Minutes)

👉 Output:

Demo Screenshot

Installation

Setup

Create Workflow Module

Example: Define Module

🔐 Token-Based Approval API

RBAC Integration (laravel-iam)

Architecture (Clean & Headless)

Applications own the business data.

The Approval Engine only orchestrates workflow state, approval progression, events, notifications, and audit history.

Commands

Why This Engine is Different

Roadmap

v1.7 (Current ✅)

• ✅ Headless workflow engine
• ✅ Multi-stage approval lifecycle
• ✅ Event-driven architecture
• ✅ Token-based approvals
• ✅ Smart notification batching
• ✅ Plugin system
• ✅ Module registry
• ✅ IAM integration support
• ✅ Clean architecture boundaries

v1.8

• 🔜 SLA and escalation policies
• 🔜 Approval delegation
• 🔜 Enhanced notification channels (Slack, Teams, Webhooks)
• 🔜 Workflow analytics and metrics
• 🔜 Reminder and follow-up automation

v2.0

• 🔜 Visual workflow designer
• 🔜 Dynamic rule builder
• 🔜 Workflow versioning
• 🔜 Advanced audit and compliance tools
• 🔜 Enterprise reporting and analytics

Future Exploration

• 🔜 Plugin marketplace
• 🔜 BPMN import/export
• 🔜 Workflow simulation and testing tools
• 🔜 AI-assisted workflow recommendations

Out of Scope

The following are intentionally outside the scope of Laravel Approval Engine:

• Multi-tenant SaaS platforms
• Billing and subscriptions
• User onboarding systems
• CRM / ERP functionality
• Dashboard applications

These concerns belong to the consuming application.

⭐ Support the Project

If this package has helped you streamline your enterprise workflows, please consider supporting it:

• Star the Repo – It helps other developers find this tool.
• Share with your Team – Spread the word to your fellow Laravel developers.
• Contribute – Submit a PR or open an issue to help make it even better.

💼 Consulting & Implementation

This engine is actively used as the foundation for scalable approval systems.

If you need help designing or integrating:

• Workflow engines
• Approval pipelines
• Event-driven architectures
• Enterprise workflow automation
• Laravel IAM / RBAC systems
• Workflow analytics and notification strategies

Feel free to reach out.

📩 Connect on LinkedIn
📧 [email protected]

🤝 Contributing

PRs are welcome.

License

MIT License