---
title: 'How to Modernize an Old Laravel Forum Package with AI'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=9THu5UlJGto'
video_id: '9THu5UlJGto'
date: 2026-08-14
duration_sec: 507
---

# How to Modernize an Old Laravel Forum Package with AI

> Source: [How to Modernize an Old Laravel Forum Package with AI](https://youtube.com/watch?v=9THu5UlJGto)

## Summary

This video reviews the Laravel Forum package, an 11-year-old package still supported in Laravel 13. The creator demonstrates installation, shows the default dated frontend, and then uses AI (Codex GPT 5.5) to completely redesign the UI, resulting in a modern 2026 look. The video also discusses strategies for modernizing old packages and the cost-effectiveness of using AI for such tasks.

### Key Points

- **Introduction to Laravel Forum Package** [00:00] — The video introduces the Laravel Forum package, which is 11 years old but still supported in Laravel 13 with version 8. The package lacks screenshots, so the creator decided to test it and show the actual look.
- **Default Forum Appearance** [00:41] — After installation, seeding fake data, and adding login/logout, the forum looks dated, like it's from 1999. The creator jokes that if you want a forum in 2026 that looks like 1999, this is the package. The frontend is customizable.
- **Installation Process** [01:11] — Installation is simple: composer require, package discovery is automatic, then vendor publish and migration, and install UI presets. There are two UI options: Livewire or Blade, both using Tailwind.
- **Forum Features and Database** [01:41] — The forum includes features like pinning, replying, and recent threads. Database tables include forum_posts, forum_categories, threads, and read tracking. There are no public clouds; everything is in the vendor directory, limiting control.
- **API and Nested Set** [02:28] — The package includes an API for building custom frontends. It uses the nested set functionality for category trees, with a separate video explaining the algorithm. Database column names are unusual but functional.
- **Customizing with AI** [03:12] — The creator uses Codex GPT 5.5 to redesign the frontend. The frontend files are in resources/forum (CSS, JS, views). The AI prompt requested a complete visual redesign, and the creator chose 5.5 high for complex thinking.
- **Options for Old Packages** [04:04] — For old packages, you can: fork and build your own frontend, ask AI to recreate functionality without the package, or take the package as-is and prompt for fundamental changes. AI helps extend the life of old packages.
- **AI Redesign Process** [05:29] — The AI predicted 15 files to change, but 59 files were changed, indicating context window issues. The AI also refreshed old Bootstrap classes. The process took about 15-20 minutes.
- **Final Result** [06:28] — The redesigned forum looks modern with rounded borders, proper spacing, and padding. All features work, including replying. The homepage looks updated and usable.
- **Cost of AI Usage** [07:29] — The AI usage consumed half of the 5-hour usage limit on the $20 Codex plan (from 84% to ~34% remaining). The creator considers it a no-brainer compared to manual work or hiring someone.
- **Discussion and Conclusion** [07:59] — The creator asks viewers for opinions on the package, other forum packages, and whether forums are needed in 2026. He invites discussion in comments.

### Conclusion

The Laravel Forum package is a functional but dated solution, easily modernized with AI assistance. The video demonstrates that AI can effectively redesign old packages, making them viable for modern use, and sparks discussion on the relevance of forums in 2026.

## Transcript

Hello guys, in this video I want to show you a package I found, Laravel Forum. So this is one of the cases where the package is very old, 11 years old in fact, but still supported in Laravel 13 with the new version 8.
But the problem with such packages, it lacks screenshots. So this is what I see often by package creators, quick documentation, and there's a separate actually documentation page. So this is the page of documentation, but how does it actually look?
It's all text-based, and I decided to try it out and show it to you. So, if any of you wants a forum on your website in 2026 for whatever reason, this could be the case.
So, this is what I got after installing the package, seeded some fake data, added login and logout functionality, and this is the forum you would get. And yes, I know it looks like 20th century, so the full sentence would be, if on your website you still want a forum in 2026,
that would look like it's 1999, this is the package. But also, frontend is customizable, and we will try to do that in this video. The installation of the package is pretty simple.
Composal require, package discovery should be automatic, then you do vendor publish and migration, and then you install UI presets. So there are two options for UI, live wire or blade, if I understand correctly.
both use Tailwind and a few more configuration options. And if you install all of that, you can go and browse through forum. This is how it looks. New thread, for example. And yes, this is how it looks. Let's use Facebook Chrome extension. Create the
buttons to pin, remain and quick reply, for example. We can reply to the forum post. We can go to recent threads and reply to someone, for example, specifically reply to this one, something something, so like a good old forum. In the database we have tables like forum posts,
forum categories threads and then when the threads were read and also fields like pinned logged and other stuff So also nothing really fancy And in your allowable project as a result
of that, you don't get any public clouds. So it's all in Vendor. You don't have much control over it, to be honest. So it's all in the slash forum, and then the package takes care of what works and how
inside. There are a few things on top like API for example, so you can have the API and probably build your own frontend for the same backend API. So these are the endpoints and these are the
parameters listed in the documentation, so you can use that only as a backend if you wish. Also interesting for category tree it uses nested set functionality. This is the package variable nested set for tree structures. I have a separate video about how it works, I will link that in the
the description below, but basically in the database forum categories, you have pretty weird column names in the database, but this is how the tree structure of categories actually work. A pretty interesting separate topic about the algorithm and how it works in Eloquent and
Laravel specifically. And now let's try to change the visual design, and we can use AI for that. So if we take only the front-end part, we have resources, forum, and then we have CSS, JS,
and views. So these are the blades with partials. So let's try to customize those and see how far we can get. And I will ask Eli to do that. So I've made my homework, so to speak,
and asked Codex GPT 5.5 what are our options for customizations. And depends on how far you can go or how far you want to go. Light restyle is easy. Complete visual redesign is harder. And new UX
then touches the vendor and controller as well. So, I will prompt codec for something like this. And this is my prompt, I will make it more visible like this, and I will choose 5.5 high in this case,
because I suspect the model would need to think for a while how to implement that on top of old design and let see what will be the result So while it is working in general my thought about such older packages So the package still works and the backend is good
but the frontend looks not really modern. So, you have a few options with such packages. First, to fork it and then if you need the backend functionality of form, then build your own frontend from scratch.
Then also another option is to ask AI to recreate the package functionality without the package. So I could do that. For example, I could prompt AI go to vendor, look at elephant structure, look at database tables and then make it a
part of the first party part of my application without any package. Then you don't have any dependency but you do have the logic from the package mostly. or as I'm doing in this case, I'm taking the package as is,
as long as it supports Laravel 13 newest version, and then I prompt for fundamental changes on top, which would make package more usable in 2026. But basically, my point is,
if you see that some package is not actively supported that much or lacks some functionality, with AI as a helper, you can go further with that package as fundamental idea for your project.
Now I will skip this video until the moment where this prompt is actually finished. And this is the part that I want to comment on. So it predicted to have like 15 files to be changed. Now we have 59 files changed,
and it's automatically compacting the context. So we're running out of context window already. I don't see the context window visible anywhere here in the Codex app. in the codec CLI it would show the percentage, but anyway, and it says it's mostly in place,
so hopefully small details left, and then I will be able to show you the result. Interesting detail is showing bootstrap era classes, so as I said, the package itself is 11 years old, so I'm pretty
sure there are some older ways let put it this way to do stuff including old bootstrap classes so that was also needed to be refreshed And yes it is done finally done It doesn say in how much time I would roughly calculate like
15 minutes or even 20 minutes with that many files changed. 60 files. Was it worth it? Let's refresh. So this was the old forum test. I will leave it in the
browser and open a new tab and if we launch that one now we have our new form which looks like this and yes I would say it looks much more like 2026 with some rounded borders here it all
seems to be working so we can go and reply to someone with even spacing and padding taken care off. So yeah, this is the result that you can achieve with AI to redesign something older,
even from bootstrap for example. And this is how the homepage would look like. It's in create category. You can do a lot of things here. So yeah, this is my visually updated forum. And side note, how much it cost on Codex. So if I refresh my dashboard here, five-hour usage limit,
I'm on $20 plan of Codex Chat GPT. So before my prompt this set 84% remaining. So it has eaten half of my 5-hour usage limit. Is it a lot? Probably. But for the amount of work if I had
to do that manually or hire someone it's a no-brainer to pay that amount. Again if you compare this original design to this modern design it's night and day in my opinion. Here, what do you guys think about this Laravel forum package?
On the backend is good, the frontend is customizable or regenerated with AI? Or do you know any other forum packages for Laravel projects which would include a forum into your existing website?
And do we even need forums in 2026 or what is the like new reincarnation maybe if needed of such discussions in modern 21st century? Again let's discuss in the comments.
That's it for this time and see you guys in other videos.