# Phoenix Installer
[](https://github.com/team-alembic/phx_install/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](https://opensource.org/licenses/Apache-2.0)
[](https://hex.pm/packages/phx_install)
[](https://hexdocs.pm/phx_install)
An alternative to `mix phx.new` that installs Phoenix into any Elixir project — new or existing — using [Igniter](https://hex.pm/packages/igniter) for AST-aware code generation.
Instead of generating a project from a template, phx_install composes individual installer tasks that each add a specific feature (endpoint, router, LiveView, etc.). Each task manipulates your project's actual AST, so it can safely merge into existing code rather than overwriting it.
## Quick Start
### Existing Project
Install the default Phoenix stack (LiveView, assets, Gettext, LiveDashboard) into your project:
```bash
mix igniter.install phx_install
```
See [Options](#options) for flags to customise what gets installed.
To add the dependency without running the installer, and then explore the available tasks:
```bash
mix igniter.add phx_install
mix help phx.install
```
### New Project
Create a new Elixir application with Phoenix installed:
```bash
mix igniter.new my_app --install phx_install
```
## How It Differs from `mix phx.new`
`mix phx.new` is the standard Phoenix generator — it creates a complete project from a template and is the right choice for most greenfield apps. phx_install takes a different approach that's useful when you want to:
- **Add Phoenix to an existing Elixir project** — phx_install merges Phoenix into your current code rather than starting from a fresh project.
- **Install features incrementally** — start with an API-only app and add LiveView later with `mix phx.install.live`.
- **Run it again safely** — every task is idempotent. Running it twice won't duplicate code or overwrite your changes.
## Options
By default, `mix phx.install` sets up a full Phoenix application with LiveView, assets, Gettext, and LiveDashboard. Use flags to opt out:
```bash
# API-only (no LiveView, no assets)
mix phx.install --no-live --no-assets
# Skip internationalisation
mix phx.install --no-gettext
# Skip LiveDashboard
mix phx.install --no-dashboard
```
Database and email support are separate tasks you can add at any time:
```bash
# Ecto with PostgreSQL (default), MySQL, or SQLite
mix phx.install.ecto
mix phx.install.ecto --adapter mysql
mix phx.install.ecto --adapter sqlite
# Swoosh email
mix phx.install.mailer
```
## Individual Tasks
Each feature is a standalone task. The orchestrator (`mix phx.install`) composes them, but you can also run them independently:
| Task | Description |
|-------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|
| `phx.install.core` | Application module, config files, base dependencies |
| `phx.install.endpoint` | Phoenix.Endpoint, Telemetry, web module |
| `phx.install.router` | Router with pipelines, error handling |
| `phx.install.html` | HTML components, layouts, error pages |
| `phx.install.live` | LiveView socket, helpers, and macros (composes `html`) |
| `phx.install.assets` | esbuild and Tailwind CSS |
| `phx.install.gettext` | Internationalisation with Gettext |
| `phx.install.dashboard` | Phoenix LiveDashboard (dev only) |
| `phx.install.ecto` | Ecto database support with Repo |
| `phx.install.mailer` | Swoosh email support |
## Development
```bash
# Run tests
mix test
# Run acceptance tests (generates phx.new projects for comparison)
mix test --include acceptance
```
## Licence
Apache-2.0
---
[](https://alembic.com.au)
Proudly written and maintained by the team at [Alembic](https://alembic.com.au) for the Elixir community.
