Mezzio
Mezzio is a PHP micro-framework for building middleware-based applications, particularly APIs and web services. It provides a flexible, PSR-7 compliant architecture that allows developers to compose applications using middleware pipelines and dependency injection. Built on the Laminas Project (formerly Zend Framework), it emphasizes minimalism and modularity without imposing a full-stack structure.
Developers should use Mezzio when building lightweight, high-performance APIs or microservices in PHP that require fine-grained control over request/response handling. It's ideal for projects where a full-stack framework like Laravel or Symfony is too heavy, or when integrating with existing middleware ecosystems. Common use cases include RESTful APIs, backend services for SPAs, and applications needing custom routing or authentication flows.