Lumen: The Fast and Lightweight PHP Micro-Framework

Lumen is a micro-framework created by Laravel, designed for building fast and lightweight microservices and APIs. Key points:

Speed

Lumen is one of the fastest micro-frameworks available for PHP.

Simplicity

It offers a streamlined version of Laravel, perfect for smaller projects.
Example: Creating a basic REST API in Lumen requires less than 20 lines of code.

Laravel Integration

Easy to scale up to full Laravel if needed.
Example: You can start a project in Lumen and later upgrade to Laravel by adding the full framework's components.

Microservices

Ideal for creating microservices and APIs quickly.
Example: Building a user authentication microservice that can be used across multiple applications.

Performance

Optimized for high performance with minimal overhead.
Example: Lumen uses route caching to improve request handling speed.

Familiar Syntax

Uses Laravel's syntax, making it easy for Laravel developers.
Example: Eloquent ORM queries in Lumen are identical to those in Laravel: User::where('active', 1)->get();

Lightweight

Minimal dependencies, resulting in a smaller footprint.
Example: A basic Lumen project is typically under 1MB, compared to Laravel's 4MB+.

Built-in Features

Includes routing, middleware, and basic Laravel features.
Example: Setting up middleware in Lumen:

$app->middleware([
    App\Http\Middleware\ExampleMiddleware::class
]);

Database Support

Works with multiple databases out of the box.
Example: Connecting to MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, or SQL Server with minimal configuration.

Security

Inherits Laravel's robust security features.
Example: Built-in protection against CSRF, XSS, and SQL injection attacks.

Lumen is best for projects requiring speed and efficiency, particularly API development and microservices.