Bento
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Bento Laravel Guide

This guide covers installing the Bento Laravel SDK, configuring the client, and the main operations: tracking events, managing subscribers, and sending transactional emails from your Laravel application.

Getting Started
InstallationBasic Setup
Beginner Guide
Tracking Your First EventManaging SubscribersConvenience MethodsCommon Use Cases
Intermediate Guide
Custom Fields and TagsTracking Purchase EventsNamespaced TagsMiddlewareBroadcastsEmail Templates
Advanced Guide
Batch OperationsSequencesWorkflows & FormsStatisticsTransactional EmailsSubscriber UpdatesUtility Features

Reference

# FAQ
Learning Computer Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.comGetting Started
1
Package Installation

Installation

Install the Bento Laravel SDK in your project:

2
Client Configuration

Basic Setup

To initialize the Bento client, you'll need your Site UUID, Publishable Key, and Secret Key from your Bento account. You can find your keys in your Bento Team. To see your keys, click Your Private API Keys. If you do not see a Publishable key and Secret Key, click Generate Key to create a set.

Easy installation with the bento:install Artisan command:

You will be prompted for:

  • Your Bento Publishable Key
  • Your Bento Secret Key
  • Your Bento Site UUID
  • The author email for transactional mail
  • Whether you want to automatically update your .env file

If you decline automatic .env modification, the command will display the required environment variables for you to copy and add manually. You will also see links to the Bento Laravel documentation and the Bento app.

The install command uses Laravel Prompts for a modern, interactive setup experience. This requires Laravel 10+ and PHP 8.2+.

Manual installation:

Learning Computer Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.comBeginner Guide

Tracking Your First Event

Events record actions users take in your application, like signing up or making a purchase.

Adding subscribers via events

Events are the preferred way to add subscribers. One call records the event and kicks off any workflows and automations tied to it.

Enriching events with data

Events can carry contextual data alongside the action itself. This can be used in emails via liquid tags or in segmentation. For instance, when recording a purchase event, you can include detailed transaction information such as:

DetailLiquid tag
Product details
Purchase amount
Transaction ID
Payment method

Practical Example

When a customer completes a purchase, you can track this as an event while including all relevant purchase details. This approach enables you to:

  • Trigger specific post-purchase workflows
  • Launch targeted follow-up automations
  • Track lifetime value (LTV) metrics
  • Create personalized communications based on purchase history

Managing Subscribers

If you need to manage subscribers directly there are a set of convenience methods available to you. Add, update, and unsubscribe subscribers with these simple methods. Currently, you cannot remove subscribers via the API, but you can remove them from the dashboard People > All Users.

Adding Individual Subscribers

Please note, while these methods make it easy to manage a subscriber, the Bento recommended way to add a subscriber is via an event. This allows you to kick off sequences and automations, while also recording the "event" at the same time (1 API call).

Adding Multiple Subscribers

Importing or modifying multiple subscribers should be handled via the bulk methods, instead of looping over these calls multiple times.

Convenience Methods

The SDK provides a set of simple convenience methods that wrap common operations into single-call functions. These are ideal for quick integrations where you need to perform a single action without constructing DTOs manually.

These convenience methods are wrappers around the core SDK methods. For more control over parameters or batch operations, use the underlying methods directly (e.g., trackEvent(), importSubscribers(), subscriberCommand()).

Common Use Cases

Here are some common scenarios with ready-to-use code:

Learning Computer Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.comIntermediate Guide

Custom Fields and Tags

Bento allows you to store custom data about your users through fields and segment them with tags:

Using Custom Fields & Tags

While custom fields and tags can be used to segment subscribers, most Bento users find that namespaced tags provide a more effective and easier-to-maintain solution for most segmentation use cases.

Namespaced Tags

Namespaced tags follow this format: namespace:detail For example, if you offer three subscription plans, you could create these tags:

  • subscription:basic
  • subscription:pro
  • subscription:enterprise

We recommend applying these tags either through an automated flow or via bulk updates.

Tags do not need to be namespaced, but for many customers the organization pays off by using namespaced tags when it makes sense.

Fields

Fields are perfect for storing information about your subscribers, such as their language, timezone, or other relevant details. By using fields, you can easily segment subscribers based on their specific needs and preferences, allowing you to tailor your marketing efforts and messaging to each group.

The primary difference between fields and namespaced tags is that fields are not limited to a specific detail and do not need to be predefined. You can store any type of data in a field, including strings, numbers, or even objects. This flexibility makes fields a powerful tool for storing data.

Best Practices

For optimal organization, consider using tags for segmentation while storing more detailed user information in custom fields. Many successful implementations use a strategic combination of both approaches.

Tracking Purchase Events

When recording purchase events, you must include a unique: key as part of the tracking data. This requirement prevents duplicate transactions from being recorded in your analytics.

Most users find it beneficial to use their internal cart or order number as the unique: key. This approach simplifies future lookups and maintains consistency across your systems. The unique: key value you provide is accessible through liquid tags when creating custom email templates, allowing for personalized transactional messaging based on specific purchase details.

Tracking purchases is a great way to monitor customer lifetime value (LTV) and identify recurring customers. Bento reports on the LTV of each subscriber, allowing you to identify high-value customers and tailor your marketing efforts accordingly.

Laravel Middleware

The Bento SDK includes a Laravel middleware that automatically strips UTM tracking parameters from signed URLs. This is particularly useful for email flows such as sign-up, password reset, or other secure actions where the integrity of the signed URL is critical.

By default Bento appends UTM codes (e.g., utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, etc.) to links in emails for analytics. When these are added to a signed URL, they can invalidate the signature, resulting in Laravel rejecting the request.

This middleware helps prevent that by cleaning the request before signature verification occurs.

Depending on the version of Laravel you are using, there are a couple ways you might configure your application to use the middleware.

Example signed urls

Laravel < 10

In Laravel < 10, you can add the middleware to the app/Http/Kernel.php file:

Laravel >= 11

In Laravel >= 11, you can add the middleware to the bootstrap/app.php file:

Applying the Middleware

Once you have added the middleware, you can apply it to any routes that require signed URLs. For example, if you have a route that requires a signed URL for a password reset, you can add the middleware to that route:

The middleware is applied to all routes that require a signed URL, including the Laravel login and registration routes. We also recommend applying the bento middleware first to ensure that the url utm's are cleaned before verifying the signature.
The middleware is highly opinionated and may not work for all use cases. Please test thoroughly before deploying to production. We strip all parameters from the url except for the signed and expires. So it is not recommended to use other url parameters without customizing the middleware to fit your use case.

Broadcasts

Broadcasts allow you to send one-time email campaigns to segments of your subscribers. You can retrieve existing broadcasts or create new ones programmatically.

When creating broadcasts, the type parameter accepts BroadcastType::PLAIN or BroadcastType::RAW. Plain broadcasts use Bento's template system, while raw broadcasts send the HTML content as-is.

Email Templates

Manage your email templates programmatically. Retrieve template details or update the subject line and HTML content of existing templates.

When updating a template, at least one of subject or html must be provided. You can update either independently without affecting the other.
Learning Computer Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.comAdvanced Guide

Batch Operations

For efficiency, we suggest using batch operations when integrating with Bento. These methods allow for single or bulk operations on subscribers and events, improving the performance and scalability of your integration. They also cover more than 80% of the API use cases for most customers.

Sequences

Sequences are automated email series that subscribers progress through over time. You can list all sequences and add new emails to existing sequences programmatically.

The getSequences() method supports pagination. Pass a page number to navigate through large sets of sequences.

Workflows and Forms

Retrieve your configured workflows and form responses to integrate automation data into your application.

Both getWorkflows() and getSequences() support pagination through an optional page parameter.

Statistics

Retrieve analytics data for your site, segments, and reports. These are useful for building dashboards or monitoring engagement metrics programmatically.

Transactional Emails

Bento allows you to send personalized transactional emails for time-sensitive, direct communications. These emails serve specific functional purposes rather than marketing objectives.

Ideal Transactional Email Use Cases

  • User onboarding (confirmation etc)
  • Password reset notifications
  • Sign-in verification links
  • Order confirmations and details
  • Account notifications

NOT Ideal Transactional Email Use Cases

  • CC / BCC recipients
  • Emails that require an attachment (we suggest always using links for emails for best deliverability)
  • Marketing of any kind
  • Promotional content
  • Newsletters

From Address Requirements

The sender address used in your transactional emails must be configured as an Author email within your Bento settings. Please note that generic addresses such as "no-reply@domain.com" or similar non-personal addresses are not currently supported.

Important Distinction

Transactional emails are designed for essential communications that facilitate specific user actions or provide critical information.

Transactional emails should not be used as substitutes for marketing campaigns or promotional content.

Subscriber Updates

Many organizations joining Bento already have an established subscriber base that requires bulk updates over time. These updates commonly include setting field data and managing tags across multiple subscribers. We recommend these methods for all subscriber updates, single or bulk.

These methods cover more than 80% of the API use cases for most customers.

Choosing the Right Update Method:

The SDK offers multiple approaches for creating subscribers in Bento, each suited to different scenarios.

Preferred Method: Events

The recommended way to create subscribers is via events in response to user activity. This approach activates automations, workflows, and can contain data enrichment.

Alternative Methods

For scenarios where you need to create subscribers independently of user actions:

1
Single Subscriber Creation

Use this method when you need to quickly create a single subscriber with minimal data:

This endpoint is rate-limited and not suitable for loops or bulk creation. Use only for individual subscriber creation.
2
Multiple Or Enriched Subscriber Creation

For creating multiple subscribers or including additional fields:

Best Practices for Batch Imports:

  • Though the API supports up to 1,000 subscribers per call, we recommend batches of 200-300 for optimal performance when dealing with extensive data.
  • Include all relevant custom fields in the initial import to minimize follow-up updates.
  • For very large imports (10,000+ subscribers), consider implementing a queue system with delay between batches.

Updating Subscribers

Depending on your requirements, several approaches are available for updating subscriber information.

Event-Based Updates (Preferred)

When updates occur in response to user actions, tracking events is the recommended approach:

Because you can apply as many changes via automations / workflows as you want this is the most flexible method. It doesn't require code or deployment changes, and can be completely handled in Bento.

Alternative Update Methods

For updates outside of user-triggered actions:

1
Single Attribute Updates

For quickly updating a specific attribute on a single subscriber:

The Command API is not recommended for multiple updates or bulk operations. Given its heavy rate limit, use the Batch API instead.
2
Batch Updates

For updating multiple subscribers or multiple fields at once, use the batch import method:

Recommendations:

  • Even for single-subscriber updates, consider using the batch import method when multiple fields need updating.
  • The batch import performs an "upsert" operation. It creates subscribers that don't exist and updates those that do.
  • This approach provides the most flexibility as your use cases evolve, whether you need to add more changes or modify multiple users simultaneously.

Specialized Update Operations

For specific update scenarios, the SDK offers dedicated methods:

Utility Features

These utilities handle common secondary use cases like email validation and blacklist checks.

Artisan Commands

The SDK provides Artisan commands for common tasks.

bento:validate

The bento:validate command tests your API configuration by running validation checks against all endpoints. This is useful for verifying your setup after initial installation or when debugging connectivity issues.

Use --skip-write in production environments to avoid creating test data while still validating read endpoints.
Learning Computer Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.comAPI Reference

Core API

  • Bento Facade - Main entry point for using the SDK (Bentonow\BentoLaravel\Facades\Bento)
  • Configuration - Set up through Laravel's config system (config/bentonow.php)
  • Service Provider - Automatically registered via Laravel's package discovery
  • Data Transfer Objects - Structured request data classes in Bentonow\BentoLaravel\DataTransferObjects
  • Laravel Mail Integration - Use the Bento transport with Laravel's Mail facade

Convenience Methods

Core API

Use CaseLaravel SDK Method
Add a new subscriber
Unsubscribe a subscriber
Update data for an existing subscriber
Add a tag to a subscriber
Update subscriber fields
Track a custom event
Track a purchase event
Find a subscriber
Upsert a subscriber
Tag a subscriber (convenience)
Remove a tag (convenience)
Add a subscriber (convenience)
Remove a subscriber (convenience)
Update fields (convenience)
Track a purchase (convenience)
Track a custom event (convenience)

Modules

Batch

Use CaseMethodAPI Reference
Import multiple subscribers Import Subscribers
Import multiple events Import Events
Send emails Send Emails

Commands

Use CaseMethodAPI Reference
Add a tag Subscriber Upsert
Remove a tag Subscriber Upsert
Add a field Subscriber Upsert
Remove a field Subscriber Upsert
Subscribe a user Subscriber Command
Unsubscribe a user Subscriber Command
Change email address Subscriber Command

Experimental

Use CaseMethodAPI Reference
Validate email address Validate Email
Predict gender from name Gender Guess
Get IP geolocation IP Geolocation
Check domain/IP blacklist Blacklist Check
Check content moderation Content Moderation

Fields

Use CaseMethodAPI Reference
Get all fields Get Fields
Create a field Create Fields

Subscribers

Use CaseMethodAPI Reference
Find subscriber Find Subscriber
Create a subscriber Create Subscriber
Run commands Subscriber Commands

Tags

Use CaseMethodAPI Reference
Get all tags List Tags
Create a tag Create Tag

Broadcasts

Use CaseMethodAPI Reference
Get all broadcasts Get Broadcasts
Create a broadcast Create Broadcast

Email Templates

Use CaseMethodAPI Reference
Get email template Get Template
Update email template Update Template

Sequences

Use CaseMethodAPI Reference
Get all sequences Get Sequences
Create sequence email Create Sequence Email

Workflows

Use CaseMethodAPI Reference
Get all workflows Get Workflows

Forms

Use CaseMethodAPI Reference
Get form responses Get Form Responses

Statistics

Use CaseMethodAPI Reference
Get site stats Site Stats
Get segment stats Segment Stats
Get report stats Report Stats
Learning Computer Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.comTroubleshooting

Common Errors

Not AuthorizedCheck your API keys and ensure they have appropriate permissions
Rate LimitedImplement backoff/retry logic for batch operations
Network ErrorsCheck internet connectivity and API endpoint availability
ExceptionsDouble check you are using a valid Author & the payload format.

Debugging Tips

1.Check Laravel's log (storage/logs/laravel.log) for detailed error output
2.Use try/catch blocks around API calls to handle errors gracefully
3.For batch operations, start with smaller batches to isolate issues
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