10 years of GrumPHP: how an internal idea grew to 18 million installations
Published by Toon Verwerft
4' reading time
2015 doesn't seem that long ago, but in the tech world, ten years is an eternity. On March 19, 2015, PHPro launched version 0.1.0 of GrumPHP, an open-source tool that has since become an indispensable part of our daily work and that of millions of developers worldwide. Time to reflect on what happened in those ten years, and why we're still so proud of this project.
It started with a simple idea
Who doesn't know the feeling? You're working on a project, you commit your code, and only later you discover there was an error you could have caught immediately. Or your team follows certain quality standards, but not everyone applies them consistently. That was exactly the challenge we faced when we started with GrumPHP.
The idea was actually quite simple. We wanted a tool that automatically checks whether your code meets the agreed standards, even before you commit your changes. A digital guardian, if you will, that ensures only quality code makes it through. Grumpy by design, you could say.
Ten years ago, everyone at PHPro used their own tools with their own standards, or no tools at all. We wanted to streamline this and get all developers on board with the code quality story. What started as an internal initiative to improve ourselves grew into a tool with 18 million installations worldwide. We never dared to dream of that kind of impact. - Toon
From 0.1.0 to over 18 million installations
What followed exceeded all our expectations. Since that first release in March 2015, more than 2,090 commits have been added to the project. From v0.1.0 to the current v2.x, we've continuously improved, expanded, and adapted GrumPHP to the changing needs of the PHP community.
The impact is impressive. With 18 million installations worldwide, GrumPHP has become a standard in the toolkit of PHP developers. From small startups to large enterprise environments, GrumPHP helps teams everywhere maintain their code quality.
Why GrumPHP is still important today
At PHPro, virtually every developer uses GrumPHP daily. It's woven into how we work and how we ensure we deliver high-quality code to our clients. But why is this tool still so relevant after ten years?
- Saving time where it matters
The tool's signature "grumpiness" means problems are caught before they make it into your codebase. This saves countless hours of debugging, code review, and fixing issues you never wanted to have in the first place.
- Ensuring quality without endless discussions
As a team, you no longer need to constantly discuss coding standards. GrumPHP ensures everyone automatically follows the agreed rules. This not only saves time but also creates a consistent codebase that everyone can work with.
- Making onboarding easier
New team members can get started right away with the confidence that they're following the right standards. GrumPHP acts as a friendly (okay, sometimes a bit grumpy) mentor that helps you get on track immediately.
What makes GrumPHP so powerful is that it combines all tools and automatically validates whether they've been executed correctly with every commit. It literally holds developers by the hand and has taught us as a team over the years to constantly keep quality in mind. Today, it's become indispensable in how we deliver high-quality code to our clients. - Davy
Open source as PHPro's DNA
For us, GrumPHP is more than just a handy tool. It also says something about how we work as a company and what we stand for.
We strongly believe in the power of open source. By sharing our knowledge and tools with the community, we contribute to an ecosystem where everyone benefits. Those 18 million installations represent developers who save time, write better code, and ultimately deliver better products to their clients.
At the same time, it teaches us too. The feedback, issues, and pull requests we receive help us continuously improve GrumPHP. It's a beautiful cycle of giving and taking that benefits both us and the community
A look at the future
After ten years, GrumPHP is still going strong. The PHP world keeps evolving, and we continue to develop GrumPHP to stay relevant. New PHP versions, new tools in the development landscape, new best practices - it all requires constant attention and innovation.
But one thing remains the same: our dedication to helping developers write better code. Because ultimately, that's what it's all about at PHPro, whether it's internal projects, client work, or open-source tools like GrumPHP.
We use GrumPHP on all projects, both in pre-commit hooks and in our CI/CD pipelines. It automates code quality checks and catches issues before they make it into commits. That not only saves time but ensures we consistently deliver high-quality code. And that's what it's all about in the end. - Bart
Thank you
Ten years is a beautiful milestone to reflect on what we've achieved together. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to GrumPHP, whether as a user, contributor, or supporter. You make the difference.
And for those wondering what the next ten years will bring? We'll stay grumpy (in the good sense of the word), we'll keep innovating, and we'll continue building tools that help developers deliver better work. 😠💚
Contact us
Want to know more about how we work at PHPro, or curious about our projects? Feel free to get in touch. We'd love to tell you more about how we use technology to help our clients grow.
More about our approach and expertise
GrumPHP is just one example of how we work on quality and innovation at PHPro. Discover more in these articles about our projects, the technologies we work with, and the way we help our clients grow.
