Skip to main content

​
What is MINI?

MINI is an extremely simple and easy to understand skeleton PHP application, reduced to the max. It’s a barebone micro-framework designed for developers who want to build simple web applications without the complexity of full-featured frameworks.
MINI is NOT a professional framework and does not come with all the features that enterprise frameworks provide. It’s designed for simplicity and ease of use.

​
Philosophy

MINI follows a straightforward philosophy:
  • Simplicity First: No complex abstractions or steep learning curves
  • Native PHP: Uses only native PHP code, so you don’t need to learn framework-specific syntax
  • Minimal Dependencies: Runs with minimal setup and configuration
  • Clean URLs: Beautiful, SEO-friendly URL structure out of the box
  • Easy to Understand: Clean, commented codebase that’s easy to learn from

​
Key Features

Extremely Simple

Reduced to the absolute essentials with a clean, understandable structure

Clean URLs

Beautiful URL routing with mod_rewrite (e.g., example.com/songs/edit/17)

PDO Database

Secure database access using PDO with built-in debugging tools

CRUD Examples

Includes working examples of Create, Read, Update, and Delete operations

PSR-Compliant

Follows PSR-1/2 coding guidelines for clean, maintainable code

AJAX Ready

Includes demo AJAX implementation for dynamic functionality

​
When to Use MINI

MINI is perfect for:
  • Quick Prototypes: Rapidly building proof-of-concept applications
  • Learning Projects: Understanding MVC architecture without framework complexity
  • Small Websites: Simple sites with a few pages and basic database operations
  • Agency Work: Fast frontend-driven projects with minimal backend requirements
  • Teaching: Demonstrating PHP concepts without framework overhead
For large-scale enterprise applications with complex requirements, consider using a full-featured framework like Laravel, Symfony, or check out MINI’s bigger siblings: MINI2 or MINI3.

​
When NOT to Use MINI

MINI might not be suitable if you need:
  • Complex authentication and authorization systems
  • Built-in ORM with advanced relationships
  • API development with REST/GraphQL support
  • Extensive middleware and event systems
  • Built-in testing frameworks
  • Large team collaboration with strict architectural patterns

​
The MINI Family

MINI has several related projects for different use cases:

​
TINY

TINY is MINI’s smaller brother. It’s similar to MINI but runs without mod_rewrite in nearly every environment. Perfect for:
  • Environments where you can’t enable mod_rewrite
  • Quick local prototyping
  • Shared hosting with limited configuration options

​
MINI2

MINI2 is MINI’s bigger brother. Built using the Slim framework, it includes:
  • SASS compilation
  • Twig templating engine
  • More modern architecture
  • Enhanced features while maintaining simplicity

​
MINI3

MINI3 is the successor of MINI. It features:
  • PSR-4 autoloading
  • Multiple model classes
  • Real namespaces
  • Original MINI native application structure (without Slim)
  • More professional architecture

​
How MINI Works

MINI uses a simple MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern: 
// URL: example.com/home/exampleOne
// Routes to: application/controller/home.php -> exampleOne() method

public function exampleOne()
{
    // Load views
    require APP . 'view/_templates/header.php';
    require APP . 'view/home/example_one.php';
    require APP . 'view/_templates/footer.php';
}
The URL structure directly maps to controllers and methods:
  • example.com → home.php → index() method (default)
  • example.com/songs → songs.php → index() method
  • example.com/songs/edit/17 → songs.php → edit() method with parameter 17

​
What’s Next?

Installation

Set up MINI on your local or production environment

Quick Start

Build your first MINI application in minutes

​
License

MINI is open-source software licensed under the MIT License. You can use and modify it freely for private or commercial projects.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us