# Installation
The following section teaches you how to install Lighthouse in your project.
# Install via composer
composer require nuwave/lighthouse
# Publish the default schema
Lighthouse includes a default schema to get you going right away. Publish
it using the following artisan command:
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=lighthouse-schema
# Lumen
To use the included lighthouse config, copy it over to your config folder.
mkdir -p config
cp vendor/nuwave/lighthouse/src/lighthouse.php config/
Register the config file within your bootstrap/app.php file:
$app->configure('lighthouse');
Register the service provider in your bootstrap/app.php file:
$app->register(\Nuwave\Lighthouse\LighthouseServiceProvider::class);
The many features Lighthouse provides are split across multiple service providers.
Since Lumen does not support auto-discovery, you will have to register them individually
depending on which features you want to use. Check Lighthouse's composer.json (opens new window),
the section extra.laravel.providers contains the default service providers.
To get you going right away in Lumen, copy over the included default schema. It uses pagination and validation, so you need to register the service providers.
mkdir -p graphql
cp vendor/nuwave/lighthouse/src/default-schema.graphql graphql/schema.graphql
$app->register(\Nuwave\Lighthouse\Pagination\PaginationServiceProvider::class);
$app->register(\Nuwave\Lighthouse\Validation\ValidationServiceProvider::class);
# IDE Support
Lighthouse makes heavy use of the SDL and utilizes schema directives. To improve your editing experience, you can generate a definition file with an artisan command:
php artisan lighthouse:ide-helper
For Phpstorm, we recommend the GraphQL plugin (opens new window).
# Install GraphQL DevTools
To make use of the amazing tooling around GraphQL, we recommend installing GraphiQL (opens new window).
composer require mll-lab/laravel-graphiql
After installation, visit /graphiql to try it.
You can use any GraphQL client with Lighthouse, make sure to point it to the URL defined in
the config. By default, the endpoint lives at /graphql.