1What Naify Is

Naify (pronounced "nai-fee") is a PHP framework for web system development that keeps only the features that do not change, and keeps them small.

Naify is developed by nanomix,ltd., drawing on more than 20 years of developing and maintaining business systems. The same code runs on PHP 8.0 through the latest PHP, and the processing flow is kept explicit so that AI can read and write the code easily.

2Why Naify?

In business systems that are used for years, keeping PHP and the framework up to date takes more effort than adding features. Naify was built to reduce that effort.

A common problem

The framework keeps you from upgrading PHP.

You want to upgrade PHP, but cannot until the framework supports it. And upgrading the framework can mean rewriting the application.

Naify's answer

Support new PHP versions without changing how Naify is used.

Naify keeps only the basic web features that do not change over the years. It avoids adding features carelessly or breaking backward compatibility, so the same code runs from PHP 8.0 to the latest PHP.

From "Why Naify?" on the top page of the official Naify site (Japanese).

3Ten Years of Chasing Updates

Business systems are often used for ten years after they are built. In that time, support for the OS, PHP and the framework runs out several times.

Typical number of upgrades over ten years. Each break in a bar is a version upgrade. Figures from the official Naify site (Japanese).

The shortest-lived component sets the maintenance cycle for the whole system.

See "Challenges of long-term systems" on the official Naify site (Japanese). Support periods for the standard PHP on RHEL-family systems are covered in How Long Can a Laravel PHP System Last?

4Keep Only What Does Not Change

Naify keeps anything likely to change over time out of the core. Authentication and logging are decided by each application.

Upgrading PHP does not change the API your application uses.

Based on a diagram on the official Naify site (Japanese).
See "The answer to long-term operation" and "PHP 8.0 compatibility policy" on the official site (1, 2, Japanese).

5A "Harness" for AI

Being able to write code is not the same as being able to maintain it for ten years.

When AI writes code, a bigger framework might seem safer.

In practice, on a feature-heavy framework, AI-written code tends to be over-engineered, and its style drifts.

AI brings in far more machinery than a small screen needs, and misreads implicit automatic behavior or differences between versions. The code all runs, but the more differently written code piles up, the harder it becomes for anyone to maintain. Naify is meant to be the answer to that problem.

No fixed foundation
AI A1 function
AI BClassClassClass…×10
AI CUnfamiliar library
Writing inside Naify's pattern
AI ARouteControllerService
AI BRouteControllerService
AI CRouteControllerService
Left: no fixed pattern. Right: writing inside Naify's pattern.
See "AI compatibility" on the official Naify site (Japanese).

6Why a PHP Framework, and Why Now?

PHP itself provides the features a web system needs. That keeps the number of external libraries to a bare minimum.

How the layers differ between other languages and PHP. Based on a diagram on the official Naify site (Japanese).

With fewer things between the language and the app, there are fewer places for AI to misread and fewer parts to check with every update. If AI writes the code, PHP, with fewer parts, is easier to maintain.

7Summary

Naify was built after watching teams chase framework upgrades again and again. If your "ten-year system" feels like it gets rebuilt every two years, take a look. Official Naify site

…That was all very serious, but Naify is made by nanomix. In other words, yes, this is a shameless plug again. 🥴

For adoption or questions, feel free to contact nanomix!

*Features and availability are based on the official site as of November 8, 2026.