PHP Artisan is a command-line interface (CLI) tool included with the Laravel PHP framework, created by Taylor Otwell. It is based on the Symfony Console component. Artisan streamlines Laravel development by automating common tasks like code generation, database management, and more. Artisan offers a wide array of helpful commands, such as creating controllers and models (make:controller, make:model), running database migrations (migrate), clearing cache (cache:clear), and starting a local development server (serve). To see a list of all available Artisan commands, you can use the list command. Artisan also allows for the creation of custom commands to automate project-specific tasks.
PHP Artisan is bundled with Laravel, so there is no separate purchase. Laravel itself is open source, but costs can arise from tools that enhance the Laravel experience, server management, deployment platforms, and application scaling. Tools like Laravel Forge (server management) have subscription fees. Laravel Cloud offers a free tier and usage-based plans. Also, third-party tools like Tinkerwell, which enhances php artisan tinker, have a separate cost. The artisan script is located at the root of your application.
