Config Manager for Laravel: transitioning the Base to MIT and introducing the Pro edition
Over the past months I’ve been working on Config Manager, a Laravel package focused on one very specific and often underestimated problem:
managing .env files safely in real production environments.
While building this package, I realized how many assumptions we usually make about configuration safety — until something goes wrong in production.
Today I want to clearly explain two important things:
- why the Base edition has transitioned to MIT
- why a Pro edition exists and is commercial
This is not a marketing post.
It’s about design choices, transparency, and sustainability.
The problem I wanted to solve
In many Laravel projects, configuration management is still handled manually:
- copying
.envfiles - editing values directly on servers
- applying changes without a clear audit trail
- rolling back by guesswork
This works… until it doesn’t.
Production environments require:
- predictability
- safety
- explicit control
- reversible actions
Config Manager was born to address exactly this.
Config Manager Base (MIT)
The Base edition of Config Manager is now released as open-source (MIT).
It provides:
- structured environment configuration storage
- safe export to
.envfiles - automatic backups
- basic rollback support
- production warnings
- a console-first workflow
The Base is meant to be:
- understandable
- hackable
- educational
- useful for many projects
Transitioning the Base to MIT was a conscious decision.
Open source is where this project started, and it remains a core part of it.
You can explore the Base edition here:
👉 https://github.com/Vanni7544/config-manager
Why a Pro edition exists
While working on the Base, a clear line emerged.
Some features are not about convenience, but about risk management:
- detailed audit logs
- explicit production guards
- guided recovery flows
- diagnostic tools
- human-error prevention
- long-term maintenance
These features require:
- more design
- more testing
- more responsibility
That’s where Config Manager Pro comes in.
Config Manager Pro
The Pro edition builds on top of the MIT Base and focuses on:
- Structured audit logging (INFO / WARN / SECURITY)
- Selective rollback, with explicit backup selection
- Advanced production guards with mandatory confirmation
- A diagnostic
config-manager:synccommand (read-only) - A guided CLI UX with explicit exit paths
- Pro-only safety and consistency checks
This is not a SaaS.
There is no cloud.
No background automation.
No remote control.
It’s still a local, explicit, and predictable tool.
You can inspect the Pro source code here:
👉 https://github.com/Vanni7544/config-manager-pro
The commercial license is available here:
👉 https://daghini.gumroad.com/l/urbzs
A note for early supporters of the Base edition
Before the Base transitioned to MIT, it was distributed under a proprietary license.
If you purchased the Base edition during that period, I want to be very clear and fair about it:
- you will receive a 100% refund, no questions asked
- you will also receive a 50% discount on Config Manager Pro, if you choose to upgrade
This is not an upsell tactic.
It’s about respecting early supporters and making sure no one feels penalized by the transition.
If this applies to you, just get in touch and it will be handled transparently.
Open source and sustainability
Making the Base MIT does not mean the Pro is “closed”.
Config Manager Pro is source-available:
- the code is readable
- the design is inspectable
- behavior is explicit
What you pay for is the license to use it in production, along with continued development.
This balance allows the project to grow without compromising its principles.
Final notes
If the Base edition is enough for your needs, that’s perfectly fine.
That’s exactly why it’s MIT.
If you manage real production environments and value:
- safety
- predictability
- accountability
then the Pro edition exists for you.
Thanks for reading,
and thanks to everyone who supports sustainable open-source development.
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