Overview
PHP projects using Composer accumulate vendor directories with all their dependencies. Laravel and Symfony projects also generate significant cache data during development.
What Cluttered Cleans
| Artifact | Description | Typical Size |
|---|---|---|
vendor/ | Composer dependencies | 50MB - 400MB |
| Framework caches | Laravel/Symfony caches | 10MB - 100MB |
| Compiled views | Blade/Twig compiled templates | 5MB - 50MB |
| Log files | Application logs | 10MB - 500MB |
Why PHP Projects Get Large
PHP projects grow from:
- Composer packages: Full package sources with dev dependencies
- Framework caches: Route, config, and view caches
- Autoloader optimization: Compiled class maps
- Development tools: PHPUnit, PHPStan, Rector
Safety Considerations
Cluttered protects your PHP projects by:
- Detecting running PHP servers (built-in, artisan serve)
- Checking for active queue workers
- Identifying recent composer.lock changes
- Preserving production cache configurations
Framework Support
| Framework | Detection | Clean Support |
|---|---|---|
| Laravel | artisan file | Full |
| Symfony | symfony.lock | Full |
| WordPress | wp-config.php | Partial |
| Drupal | core/composer.json | Partial |
Frequently Asked Questions
Will cleaning vendor/ break my application?
No. Run composer install to restore. Your composer.lock ensures exact versions.
What about WordPress plugins?
Cluttered treats wp-content/plugins as source code, not build artifacts. Only caches are cleaned.
Does it clean opcache?
PHP opcache is managed by the PHP runtime. Cluttered focuses on file-system artifacts.