Who this is for#

You are extending Pionia Shop beyond inline Application\ code — publishing a reusable Composer package, registering an AppProvider for middleware and routes, or looking up global helpers like response() and table().

What you will learn#

• The difference between plain plugins (libraries) and providers (boot hooks)
• Where to register an AppProvider in settings.ini or bootstrap/application.php
• Which guide covers Packagist publishing vs hook reference vs helper index

Before you start#

How it works#

Most teams extend Pionia in two ways:

1. Application code — services, switches, middleware under Application\ in your repo.
2. Composer packages — reusable libraries; some packages also ship a provider to register middleware, routes, or commands automatically.

flowchart LR
  App[Pionia Shop app] --> Code[Application services]
  App --> Pkg[Composer package]
  Pkg --> Plugin[Plain plugin class]
  Pkg --> Prov[Provider subclass]
  Prov --> Boot[middlewares routes commands]
  App --> AP[AppProvider in settings.ini]
  AP --> Boot

Start with Composer packages if you are publishing to Packagist. Use App providers when you need the full hook list and boot order.

Common mistakes#

• Putting boot-time wiring in a service action instead of an AppProvider — helpers like logger() are not available before AppRealm::create() returns
• Using a generic API version slug (v2) in a package routes() — collides with the host app’s switches
• Forgetting php pionia cache:clear after removing a provider from [app_providers]
• Requiring RoadRunner or Redis in package require instead of suggest — breaks minimal installs

What’s next#