Laravel Livewire (v1 - v4)
Livewire builds reactive UIs with a PHP class + Blade view and no dedicated JS. Its behavior has flipped in important ways between majors - the same wire:model is real-time on v1/v2, deferred on v3, and non-bubbling on v4. So: detect the version, then apply that version's rules.
Step 1 - Detect the installed version FIRST
composer show livewire/livewire | grep -i '^versions' # resolved version
grep '"livewire/livewire"' composer.json # the constraint (^1/^2/^3/^4)
php artisan about | grep -i livewire # if available
Map to major 1.x / 2.x / 3.x / 4.x. Fresh install -> default to latest stable and confirm. Can't tell -> ask, don't guess.
Step 2 - Load the matching reference
| Version |
Era (one-liner) |
Reference |
| v1 (Feb 2020) |
First stable; Alpine separate; wire:model live by default |
references/livewire-v1.md |
| v2 (Sep 2020) |
$wire + @entangle, wire:model.defer, $rules, scoped events |
references/livewire-v2.md |
| v3 (Aug 2023) |
App\Livewire, Alpine bundled, wire:model deferred by default, dispatch(), PHP attributes, wire:navigate |
references/livewire-v3.md |
| v4 (Jan 2026) |
Single-file & island components, parallel updates, .async, wire:sort/intersect/ref, Route::livewire() |
references/livewire-v4.md |
Step 3 - For upgrades, load the matching guide
| Path |
Guide |
The headline break |
| v1 -> v2 |
references/upgrades/v1-to-v2.md |
$updatesQueryString->$queryString, routing, {{ $slot }} |
| v2 -> v3 |
references/upgrades/v2-to-v3.md |
wire:model now deferred (add .live); emit->dispatch; namespace move; Alpine bundled |
| v3 -> v4 |
references/upgrades/v3-to-v4.md |
wire:model stops bubbling (add .deep); .blur/.change no longer request (add .live); self-closing tags; Route::livewire() |
The two behavior flips to burn into memory
- v2 -> v3:
wire:model went from live to DEFERRED. On v3+, an input doesn't update the server as you type - add .live where you need real-time (search, live validation). This is the #1 v3 surprise.
- v3 -> v4:
wire:model stops listening to bubbled child events, and .blur/.change become client-only sync (no request). Custom-input wrappers break silently - add .deep; add .live to .blur/.change to keep hitting the server.
Version-independent best practices
- Single root element per component - true on every version.
- Public properties are exposed to the browser and client-writable. Never put secrets in them; lock IDs/prices (
#[Locked] on v3+).
wire:key on every item in a loop so DOM diffing tracks rows correctly (v4 defaults smart keys on, but be explicit).- Prefer computed properties for derived/expensive data over recomputing in
render().
- Validate on the server - client state is never trustworthy;
wire:model values are user-controlled.
mount() runs once; boot() runs every request (v2+). Put per-request re-resolution in boot()/computed, not mount().- Don't hardcode volatile API from memory - verify signatures for the detected version against
https://livewire.laravel.com/docs/<major>.x (older v1/v2 pages live on the legacy laravel-livewire.com docs).
Output expectations
State the detected version ("Detected Livewire v3"), give code in that version's exact syntax labeled with the version, and on upgrades produce the ordered steps from the relevant guide (automated livewire:upgrade where it exists, then the manual breaking changes).
1---2name: livewire3description: Version-aware best practices for Laravel Livewire (Caleb Porzio's full-stack framework), covering v1 through v4. Use whenever building, reviewing, or upgrading Livewire components, wire:model bindings, actions, events, validation, lifecycle hooks, or single-file/island components. ALWAYS detects the installed Livewire major version first, because behavior flips significantly between majors (wire:model default changed in v3; component model + wire:model bubbling changed in v4). Covers every upgrade path (v1->v2, v2->v3, v3->v4).4---56# Laravel Livewire (v1 - v4)78Livewire builds reactive UIs with a PHP class + Blade view and no dedicated JS. Its behavior has **flipped in important ways between majors** - the same `wire:model` is real-time on v1/v2, deferred on v3, and non-bubbling on v4. So: **detect the version, then apply that version's rules.**910## Step 1 - Detect the installed version FIRST1112```bash13composer show livewire/livewire | grep -i '^versions' # resolved version14grep '"livewire/livewire"' composer.json # the constraint (^1/^2/^3/^4)15php artisan about | grep -i livewire # if available16```17Map to major `1.x` / `2.x` / `3.x` / `4.x`. Fresh install -> default to latest stable and confirm. Can't tell -> ask, don't guess.1819## Step 2 - Load the matching reference2021| Version | Era (one-liner) | Reference |22|---|---|---|23| **v1** (Feb 2020) | First stable; Alpine separate; `wire:model` live by default | `references/livewire-v1.md` |24| **v2** (Sep 2020) | `$wire` + `@entangle`, `wire:model.defer`, `$rules`, scoped events | `references/livewire-v2.md` |25| **v3** (Aug 2023) | `App\Livewire`, Alpine bundled, **`wire:model` deferred by default**, `dispatch()`, PHP attributes, `wire:navigate` | `references/livewire-v3.md` |26| **v4** (Jan 2026) | Single-file & island components, parallel updates, `.async`, `wire:sort/intersect/ref`, `Route::livewire()` | `references/livewire-v4.md` |2728## Step 3 - For upgrades, load the matching guide2930| Path | Guide | The headline break |31|---|---|---|32| v1 -> v2 | `references/upgrades/v1-to-v2.md` | `$updatesQueryString`->`$queryString`, routing, `{{ $slot }}` |33| v2 -> v3 | `references/upgrades/v2-to-v3.md` | **`wire:model` now deferred** (add `.live`); `emit`->`dispatch`; namespace move; Alpine bundled |34| v3 -> v4 | `references/upgrades/v3-to-v4.md` | **`wire:model` stops bubbling** (add `.deep`); `.blur/.change` no longer request (add `.live`); self-closing tags; `Route::livewire()` |3536## The two behavior flips to burn into memory37381. **v2 -> v3: `wire:model` went from live to DEFERRED.** On v3+, an input doesn't update the server as you type - add `.live` where you need real-time (search, live validation). This is the #1 v3 surprise.392. **v3 -> v4: `wire:model` stops listening to bubbled child events, and `.blur`/`.change` become client-only sync (no request).** Custom-input wrappers break silently - add `.deep`; add `.live` to `.blur`/`.change` to keep hitting the server.4041## Version-independent best practices4243- **Single root element** per component - true on every version.44- **Public properties are exposed to the browser** and client-writable. Never put secrets in them; lock IDs/prices (`#[Locked]` on v3+).45- **`wire:key` on every item in a loop** so DOM diffing tracks rows correctly (v4 defaults smart keys on, but be explicit).46- **Prefer computed properties** for derived/expensive data over recomputing in `render()`.47- **Validate on the server** - client state is never trustworthy; `wire:model` values are user-controlled.48- **`mount()` runs once; `boot()` runs every request** (v2+). Put per-request re-resolution in `boot()`/computed, not `mount()`.49- **Don't hardcode volatile API from memory** - verify signatures for the detected version against `https://livewire.laravel.com/docs/<major>.x` (older v1/v2 pages live on the legacy `laravel-livewire.com` docs).5051## Output expectations5253State the detected version ("Detected Livewire v3"), give code in that version's exact syntax labeled with the version, and on upgrades produce the ordered steps from the relevant guide (automated `livewire:upgrade` where it exists, then the manual breaking changes).
majdghithan