Frequently Asked Questions

Does Shift upgrade everything?

Not everything.

Shift attempts to upgrade your Laravel application so you just need to run composer update. However, given the dynamic nature of PHP and the infinite customization of a Laravel application, this is not always possible. When Shift can not reliably perform a change, a detailed comment will be added to the Pull Request for you to review.

Does Shift upgrade more than the Laravel Upgrade Guide?

Yes.

The Upgrade Guide focuses on new features and breaking changes, treating the rest as optional. Over time, only following the Laravel Upgrade Guide accumulates technical debt.

Shift upgrades all changes. This ensures your project is fully up-to-date with your version of Laravel and there are no future surprises.

Can I upgrade multiple versions at once?

No. This is by design to improve context and focus. Doing so incrementally allows you to verify each upgrade to ensure you don't miss anything.

For tips on completing Shifts efficiently and keeping your app upgradable, watch the Shift like a Pro and Maintaining Shiftability videos.

What if my project is not on Bitbucket/GitHub/GitLab?

Currently, these are the services which allow you to quickly connect your Laravel application to Shift.

All of these services offer free private repositories. So you can always push a temporary copy of your repository to run Shift.

Why does Shift need write access to my repositories?

Having write access to your repositories allows Shift to create a new branch and open a Pull Request. This way the process can be seamlessly automated from start to finish.

Once you merge the Pull Request, you are welcome to deauthorize the Laravel Shift application.

What if my boss/client/legal/paranoia won't let me share my project?

I realize some code comes with policies or agreements which prevent you from sharing it in any way.

That's why I built Shift for Docker - so you can run any Shift against one of your Laravel applications entirely locally.

Does Shift keep a copy of my code?

No.

Your code only lives on the Shift server while the upgrade process is running - less than a minute on average. After it completes, your code is forcefully removed from the Shift server. I'm talking rm -rf *.

Can I pay with PayPal?

Yes.

Simply start your order process. Once you reach checkout, email your Shift number to shift@laravelshift.com to pay with PayPal.

What happens if things go wrong?

If a Shift fails, you will receive an email notification with some clues on how to resolve the problem. Once you have, you can rerun your Shift again. If that also fails, I'll step in and take a look.

Does Shift offer additional support?

Yes.

For basic support feel free to message @laravelshift on Twitter or email shift@laravelshift.com. If you need more help upgrading your application, Shift offers Human Shifts.