Pros of Scout

• Seamless integration with Laravel's Eloquent ORM
• Supports multiple search engines (Algolia, MeiliSearch, Database)
• Offers queue-based indexing for improved performance

Cons of Scout

• Requires additional setup for external search engines
• May have a steeper learning curve for beginners
• Limited customization options compared to Searchable

Code Comparison

Searchable:

class User extends Model
{
    use Searchable;

    protected $searchable = [
        'columns' => [
            'users.name' => 10,
            'users.email' => 5,
        ],
    ];
}

Scout:

class User extends Model
{
    use Searchable;

    public function toSearchableArray()
    {
        return [
            'name' => $this->name,
            'email' => $this->email,
        ];
    }
}

Both packages offer search functionality for Laravel applications, but they differ in their approach and features. Searchable provides a simpler setup with built-in database searching, while Scout offers more flexibility and integration with external search engines. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of your project and the desired level of customization and scalability.

Pros of laravel-searchable

• Specifically designed for Laravel, offering seamless integration
• Supports searching through multiple models simultaneously
• Allows for custom search algorithms and weighting of results

Cons of laravel-searchable

• Limited to Laravel framework, not as versatile for other PHP projects
• Less mature project with fewer contributors and stars on GitHub

Code Comparison

searchable:

$results = Article::search('Lorem ipsum')->get();

laravel-searchable:

$searchResults = (new Search())
    ->registerModel(User::class, 'name')
    ->registerModel(Post::class, 'title')
    ->search('john');

Key Differences

• searchable is a more general-purpose PHP package, while laravel-searchable is Laravel-specific
• laravel-searchable offers multi-model search out of the box, whereas searchable focuses on single model searches
• searchable provides more advanced features like geospatial search and custom search algorithms

Use Cases

• Choose searchable for non-Laravel PHP projects or when advanced search features are required
• Opt for laravel-searchable when working within a Laravel ecosystem and need simple multi-model search functionality

Pros of laravel-scout-tntsearch-driver

• Integrates seamlessly with Laravel Scout, providing a unified search interface
• Offers full-text search capabilities with advanced features like fuzzy matching and boosting
• Supports multiple languages and stemming out of the box

Cons of laravel-scout-tntsearch-driver

• Requires additional setup and configuration compared to searchable
• May have a steeper learning curve for developers new to Laravel Scout
• Performance might be slower for very large datasets compared to simpler solutions

Code Comparison

searchable:

class Post extends Model
{
    use Searchable;
    
    protected $searchable = [
        'columns' => [
            'posts.title' => 10,
            'posts.content' => 5,
        ],
    ];
}

laravel-scout-tntsearch-driver:

class Post extends Model
{
    use Searchable;
    
    public function toSearchableArray()
    {
        return [
            'title' => $this->title,
            'content' => $this->content,
        ];
    }
}

Both libraries offer simple integration with Laravel models, but laravel-scout-tntsearch-driver provides more flexibility in defining searchable data through the toSearchableArray() method. searchable uses a more declarative approach with the $searchable property, which may be easier for quick setup but less customizable.

Pros of eloquent-sluggable

• Focused specifically on slug generation for Eloquent models
• Offers more advanced slug customization options (e.g., custom separators, reserved words)
• Provides built-in handling for slug uniqueness and conflict resolution

Cons of eloquent-sluggable

• Limited to slug generation, lacks broader search functionality
• May require additional setup for complex slug scenarios
• Potentially overkill for simple slug requirements

Code Comparison

eloquent-sluggable:

use Cviebrock\EloquentSluggable\Sluggable;

class Post extends Model
{
    use Sluggable;

    public function sluggable(): array
    {
        return [
            'slug' => [
                'source' => 'title'
            ]
        ];
    }
}

searchable:

use Nicolaslopezj\Searchable\SearchableTrait;

class Post extends Model
{
    use SearchableTrait;

    protected $searchable = [
        'columns' => [
            'posts.title' => 10,
            'posts.content' => 5
        ]
    ];
}

While eloquent-sluggable focuses on generating and managing slugs for Eloquent models, searchable provides a broader search functionality across multiple model attributes. eloquent-sluggable offers more advanced slug customization but is limited to that specific use case. searchable, on the other hand, enables flexible search capabilities but may require additional work for slug generation if needed.

Pros of laravel-tags

• More comprehensive tagging functionality, including tag types and custom tag models
• Better integration with Laravel's ecosystem and conventions
• Active development and maintenance with frequent updates

Cons of laravel-tags

• Focused solely on tagging, lacking general search capabilities
• May be overkill for simple tagging needs
• Requires more setup and configuration compared to searchable

Code Comparison

searchable:

class Post extends Model
{
    use Searchable;

    protected $searchable = [
        'columns' => [
            'posts.title' => 10,
            'posts.content' => 5,
        ],
    ];
}

laravel-tags:

class Post extends Model
{
    use HasTags;

    public function tags(): MorphToMany
    {
        return $this->morphToMany(Tag::class, 'taggable');
    }
}

Summary

searchable is a lightweight package focused on adding search functionality to Laravel models, while laravel-tags is a more comprehensive solution for tagging models in Laravel applications. searchable is simpler to set up and use for basic search needs, but laravel-tags offers more advanced tagging features and better integration with Laravel's ecosystem. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of your project and whether you need general search capabilities or dedicated tagging functionality.