Backpack v7 is Launched - See What's New

After 2.5 years of adding features in v6, the Backpack team has launched a new major version. If you're not familiar with Backpack, it's an admin panel framework for Laravel - it helps you build custom admin panels, fast. And we've just made it even easier to use.

TL;DR: Backpack v7 brings Data Components (use tables, forms, grids anywhere), Chips (compact info display), Skins (easy brand colors), Lifecycle Hooks (cleaner code), SaveAction Classes (better organization), and re-usable Filters. The upgrade takes 5-20 minutes for most projects.

Let's take a look at what's new.

#Data Components - Use Them Anywhere

This is the big one. We've decoupled our core operations (tables, forms, show pages) into standalone Blade components. This means you can now use them anywhere you want - not just inside CrudControllers.

Want to show a datatable on a dashboard? Easy:

<x-bp-datatable controller="\App\Http\Controllers\Admin\InvoiceCrudController" />

Need a form inside a custom page or modal? Done:

<x-bp-dataform controller="\App\Http\Controllers\Admin\InvoiceCrudController" />

Want to show entry details anywhere? Here you go:

<x-bp-datagrid
    controller="\App\Http\Controllers\Admin\InvoiceCrudController"
    :entry="\App\Models\Invoice::find(1)"
/>

The beauty of these components is that they pick up all the configuration from your existing CrudController. So if you've already set up your columns, fields, and buttons - they just work. And if you need to customize things for a specific use case, you can pass a :setup closure:

<x-bp-datatable
    controller="\App\Http\Controllers\Admin\InvoiceCrudController"
    :setup="function($crud, $parent) {
        $crud->removeColumn('notes');
        $crud->addClause('where', 'status', 'paid');
    }"
/>

This opens up a lot of possibilities. Complex dashboards with multiple datatables, custom reporting pages, forms in modals - all reusing the configuration you've already written. We're pretty excited about this one.

#Better Developer Experience

We've added a few quality-of-life improvements that should make your code cleaner and more maintainable.

#Lifecycle Hooks

Previously, when you wanted to add custom code before or after an operation's routes or defaults were set up, you had to override entire methods. Not anymore. You can now hook into the CRUD lifecycle at specific points:

use Backpack\CRUD\app\Library\CrudPanel\Hooks\Facades\LifecycleHook;
 
LifecycleHook::hookInto('create:before_setup', function($crud) {
    // runs before the Create operation is set up
});

This is particularly useful when building custom operations or add-ons. You can add your logic without touching the core operation code.

#SaveAction Classes

Save actions (the "Save and back", "Save and edit" buttons) used to require large array definitions in your CrudController. Now you can encapsulate them in classes:

// Before: 10+ lines of array configuration
// After: one line
CRUD::addSaveAction(SaveAndApprove::class);

Creating a custom SaveAction is straightforward - extend AbstractSaveAction and override what you need:

class SaveAndApprove extends AbstractSaveAction
{
    public function getName(): string { return 'save_and_approve'; }
    public function getButtonText(): string { return 'Save and Approve'; }
 
    public function getRedirectUrl(CrudPanel $crud, Request $request, $itemId = null): ?string
    {
        return route('admin.invoices.approve', $itemId);
    }
}

These classes are reusable, testable, and keep your controllers clean.

#Re-usable Filters

Filters in Backpack/PRO are no longer tied to datatables. They now trigger generic JavaScript events that you can catch anywhere:

// Filters now emit 'backpack:filter:changed' events
// Use them in custom pages, dashboards, or with Livewire

This means you can use the same filter UI on custom dashboards, reports, or any other page where you need to filter data. They also work inside Custom Views for the List operation now.

#Chips - Compact Info Display

We've introduced a new concept called "Chips" - a way to show entry information in a compact format. Think of them as mini-cards that can display an entry's key attributes in a small space.

They're particularly useful in datatables when you have too many columns. Instead of horizontal scrolling, you can compress 5+ columns worth of info into a single chip column:

CRUD::addColumn([
    'name' => 'info',
    'type' => 'view',
    'view' => 'crud::chips.invoice',
]);

You can generate a custom chip with php artisan backpack:chip invoice and customize what info it shows.

#Easier Brand Customization

We've added Skins - simple CSS files that completely change the look of your admin panel. The Tabler theme now ships with a modern "glass" skin out of the box, and we're working on more.

But more importantly, it's now dead-simple to make your admin match your brand colors using CSS variables. No more hunting through config files or creating custom themes.

#The Upgrade Experience

We know nobody likes upgrading. That's why we've made it as painless as possible:

• 5-20 minutes for most projects
• A new php artisan backpack:upgrade command that handles most of the work automatically
• No breaking changes for standard usage

Requirements:

• PHP 8.2+
• Laravel 12
• Backpack v6 (if upgrading)

Best of all, if you purchased Backpack PRO and still have access to updates, you automatically have access to v7 - nothing extra to purchase.

#What's Coming Next

We're not stopping here. In the v7.x releases, we're working on:

• AI Agent Kit - Tools and context for AI agents (like Cursor or Cline) to generate working CRUDs and features
• Chart Components - Beautiful visualizations for dashboards
• Operation Tests - Generate feature tests for your admin panel in minutes
• MCP Server - Let your coding agents talk to our docs directly

Some of these are already in beta, others are coming soon.

#Should You Try It?

If you're new to Backpack, v7 is the best version to start with. The Data Components alone will save you hours when building anything beyond simple CRUDs.

If you tried Backpack before and found it limiting, give it another look. The flexibility we've added in v7 addresses most of the "I can't do X" scenarios we've heard over the years.

If you're already using Backpack, the upgrade is quick and the new features are worth it. Especially if you're building complex admin panels with dashboards and custom pages.

Big thanks to our team - Pedro Martins, Jorge Castro, and Karan Datwani - for the incredible work on this release. Over 1000 commits across 8+ months, all while maintaining v6.

And thank you to everyone who's ever purchased Backpack or told a friend about it. Your support makes all of this possible.

Ready to try it?

• Get started with v7
• See the release notes
• Try the live demo
• Upgrade from v6

Cheers!