Building SaaS Applications with the TALL

TALL StackLaravelLivewireSaaSFilamentPHP

Building SaaS Applications with the TALL Stack in 2025

A comprehensive guide to building modern SaaS applications using Tailwind CSS, Alpine.js, Laravel, and Livewire. Cover architecture, subscriptions, multi-tenancy, and deployment.

Building SaaS Applications with the TALL Stack in 2025

The TALL Stack (Tailwind CSS, Alpine.js, Laravel, Livewire) has become the go-to choice for building SaaS applications in 2025. Combined with FilamentPHP for admin panels, it offers rapid development without sacrificing quality or scalability.

Why TALL Stack for SaaS?

Developer Velocity

Single Language - PHP everywhere, no JavaScript framework overhead
Reactive UI - Livewire 4 provides SPA-like experience
Beautiful Defaults - Tailwind v4 makes styling effortless
Admin Ready - FilamentPHP v4 eliminates admin panel development time

Production Ready

Battle-Tested - Laravel powers millions of applications
Scalable - Queue workers, caching, horizontal scaling
Secure - Built-in CSRF, XSS, SQL injection protection

SaaS Architecture Overview

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      TALL Stack SaaS                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Frontend Layer                                             │
│  ├── Tailwind CSS v4 (Styling)                             │
│  ├── Alpine.js (Client Interactions)                        │
│  └── Livewire 4 (Reactive Components)                      │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Application Layer                                          │
│  ├── Laravel 12 (Framework)                                │
│  ├── FilamentPHP v4 (Admin Panel)                          │
│  └── Laravel Cashier (Subscriptions)                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Data Layer                                                 │
│  ├── MySQL/PostgreSQL (Primary Database)                   │
│  ├── Redis (Cache & Sessions)                              │
│  └── S3/Storage (File Storage)                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Infrastructure                                             │
│  ├── Laravel Cloud / Forge                                 │
│  ├── Queue Workers (Horizon)                               │
│  └── Background Jobs                                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Project Setup

1. Create New Laravel Project

bash

laravel new my-saas --kit=livewire

cd my-saas

2. Install FilamentPHP

bash

composer require filament/filament:"^4.0"
php artisan filament:install --panels

3. Install Laravel Cashier

bash

composer require laravel/cashier
php artisan migrate

4. Configure Multi-Tenancy

php

// app/Providers/Filament/AdminPanelProvider.php
return $panel
    ->tenant(Team::class, slugAttribute: 'slug')
    ->tenantRegistration(RegisterTeam::class)
    ->tenantProfile(EditTeamProfile::class);

Subscription Management

Setting Up Plans

php

// database/seeders/PlanSeeder.php
class PlanSeeder extends Seeder
{
    public function run()
    {
        Plan::create([
            'name' => 'Starter',
            'stripe_price_id' => 'price_starter_monthly',
            'price' => 29,
            'features' => [
                'projects' => 5,
                'team_members' => 3,
                'storage_gb' => 10,
            ],
        ]);

        Plan::create([
            'name' => 'Professional',
            'stripe_price_id' => 'price_pro_monthly',
            'price' => 79,
            'features' => [
                'projects' => 50,
                'team_members' => 10,
                'storage_gb' => 100,
            ],
        ]);

        Plan::create([
            'name' => 'Enterprise',
            'stripe_price_id' => 'price_enterprise_monthly',
            'price' => 199,
            'features' => [
                'projects' => -1, // Unlimited
                'team_members' => -1,
                'storage_gb' => 1000,
            ],
        ]);
    }
}

Subscription Component

php

// app/Livewire/Billing/SubscriptionManager.php
class SubscriptionManager extends Component
{
    public Team $team;
    public ?string $selectedPlan = null;

    public function mount()
    {
        $this->team = Filament::getTenant();
    }

    public function subscribe(string $planId)
    {
        $plan = Plan::findOrFail($planId);

        if ($this->team->subscribed('default')) {
            $this->team->subscription('default')->swap($plan->stripe_price_id);
        } else {
            $this->team->newSubscription('default', $plan->stripe_price_id)
                ->create($this->team->defaultPaymentMethod()->id);
        }

        $this->dispatch('subscription-updated');
        Notification::make()->success()->title('Subscription updated!')->send();
    }

    public function render()
    {
        return view('livewire.billing.subscription-manager', [
            'plans' => Plan::all(),
            'currentPlan' => $this->team->subscription('default')?->stripe_price,
        ]);
    }
}

Feature Gating

php

// app/Services/FeatureGate.php
class FeatureGate
{
    public function __construct(protected Team $team) {}

    public function check(string $feature, int $current = 0): bool
    {
        $limit = $this->getLimit($feature);

        // -1 means unlimited
        if ($limit === -1) return true;

        return $current < $limit;
    }

    public function getLimit(string $feature): int
    {
        $plan = Plan::where('stripe_price_id', $this->team->subscription('default')?->stripe_price)->first();

        return $plan?->features[$feature] ?? 0;
    }

    public function canCreateProject(): bool
    {
        return $this->check('projects', $this->team->projects()->count());
    }

    public function canAddTeamMember(): bool
    {
        return $this->check('team_members', $this->team->users()->count());
    }
}

// Usage in controller
public function store(Request $request)
{
    $gate = new FeatureGate(Filament::getTenant());

    if (!$gate->canCreateProject()) {
        return back()->with('error', 'Project limit reached. Please upgrade your plan.');
    }

    Project::create($request->validated());
}

User Onboarding Flow

Welcome Wizard Component

php

// app/Livewire/Onboarding/WelcomeWizard.php
class WelcomeWizard extends Component
{
    public int $step = 1;
    public string $teamName = '';
    public string $projectName = '';
    public array $inviteEmails = [];

    public function nextStep()
    {
        $this->validate($this->rulesForStep($this->step));
        $this->step++;
    }

    public function previousStep()
    {
        $this->step--;
    }

    public function complete()
    {
        // Create team
        $team = Team::create([
            'name' => $this->teamName,
            'owner_id' => auth()->id(),
        ]);

        // Create first project
        $team->projects()->create([
            'name' => $this->projectName,
        ]);

        // Send invitations
        foreach ($this->inviteEmails as $email) {
            TeamInvitation::create([
                'team_id' => $team->id,
                'email' => $email,
            ]);
            Mail::to($email)->queue(new TeamInvitationMail($team));
        }

        auth()->user()->update(['current_team_id' => $team->id]);

        return redirect()->route('filament.admin.pages.dashboard');
    }

    protected function rulesForStep(int $step): array
    {
        return match($step) {
            1 => ['teamName' => 'required|min:2|max:255'],
            2 => ['projectName' => 'required|min:2|max:255'],
            3 => ['inviteEmails.*' => 'nullable|email'],
            default => [],
        };
    }
}

Real-Time Dashboard

Dashboard with Livewire Islands

blade

{{-- resources/views/filament/pages/dashboard.blade.php --}}
<x-filament-panels::page>
    {{-- Quick Stats - Load immediately --}}
    <div class="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-4 gap-4">
        <livewire:dashboard.quick-stats />
    </div>

    <div class="grid grid-cols-1 lg:grid-cols-2 gap-6 mt-6">
        {{-- Revenue Chart - Load lazily --}}
        @island(lazy: true)
            <livewire:dashboard.revenue-chart />
            <x-slot:placeholder>
                <div class="h-80 bg-gray-100 animate-pulse rounded-xl"></div>
            </x-slot:placeholder>
        @endisland

        {{-- Activity Feed - Poll every 30s --}}
        @island(poll: '30s')
            <livewire:dashboard.activity-feed />
        @endisland
    </div>

    {{-- Recent Projects Table --}}
    @island(lazy: true)
        <livewire:dashboard.recent-projects />
    @endisland
</x-filament-panels::page>

Background Jobs Architecture

Job Classes

php

// app/Jobs/ProcessSubscription.php
class ProcessSubscription implements ShouldQueue
{
    use Dispatchable, InteractsWithQueue, Queueable, SerializesModels;

    public function __construct(
        public Team $team,
        public string $action
    ) {}

    public function handle()
    {
        match ($this->action) {
            'activated' => $this->handleActivation(),
            'cancelled' => $this->handleCancellation(),
            'upgraded' => $this->handleUpgrade(),
        };
    }

    protected function handleActivation()
    {
        // Send welcome email
        Mail::to($this->team->owner)->queue(new SubscriptionActivated($this->team));

        // Provision resources
        $this->team->update(['status' => 'active']);

        // Log event
        Activity::log('subscription.activated', $this->team);
    }
}

Queue Configuration

php

// config/horizon.php
'defaults' => [
    'supervisor-1' => [
        'connection' => 'redis',
        'queue' => ['default', 'high'],
        'balance' => 'auto',
        'processes' => 10,
        'tries' => 3,
    ],
],

'environments' => [
    'production' => [
        'supervisor-1' => [
            'queue' => ['high', 'default', 'low'],
            'processes' => 20,
        ],
        'supervisor-billing' => [
            'queue' => ['billing'],
            'processes' => 5,
        ],
    ],
],

Deployment Checklist

Pre-Deployment

Infrastructure

Post-Deployment

Conclusion

The TALL Stack in 2025 is a powerhouse for SaaS development. With Laravel 12's automatic eager loading, Livewire 4's Islands architecture, and FilamentPHP v4's multi-tenancy, you can build production-ready SaaS applications faster than ever.

The key is to leverage each technology's strengths: Livewire for reactivity, Filament for admin UIs, and Laravel for the robust backend foundation.

Resources

Tailwind CSS v4: The Future of Utility-First CSS

Building SaaS Applications with the TALL Stack in 2025

Building SaaS Applications with the TALL Stack in 2025

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