Mojolicious::Lite(3)

💅 Mojolicious::Lite(3) — the micro real-time web framework 🦋

okay so bestie, you're reading the Mojolicious::Lite(3) page (User Contributed Perl Documentation, no less 👑) and honestly? it's giving starter-pack energy for building web apps in like... a dozen Perl functions. no cap. 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

Mojolicious::Lite — Micro real-time web framework 💖

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

like, here's the whole vibe in one go:

# Automatically enables "strict", "warnings", "utf8" and Perl 5.16 features
use Mojolicious::Lite -signatures;

# Route with placeholder
get '/:foo' => sub ($c) {
  my $foo = $c->param('foo');
  $c->render(text => "Hello from $foo.");
};

# Start the Mojolicious command system
app->start;

that's it. that's the app. she's tiny. 🔥

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

Mojolicious::Lite is a tiny domain specific language built around Mojolicious, made up of only about a dozen Perl functions. literally a dozen. she's lowkey minimal and highkey iconic 💅

On Perl 5.20+ you can also use a -signatures flag to enable support for subroutine signatures. slay, modern Perl 🫶

use Mojolicious::Lite -signatures;

get '/:foo' => sub ($c) {
  my $foo = $c->param('foo');
  $c->render(text => "Hello from $foo.");
};

app->start;

See Mojolicious::Guides::Tutorial for more! go read it, i'll wait 🍓

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🌱 GROWING 🌱

so Mojolicious::Guides::Growing will give you a detailed introduction to growing a Mojolicious::Lite prototype into a well-structured Mojolicious application — but here we've collected a few snippets that illustrate very well just how similar both of them are. like, siblings energy. same brain, different font. 🧚

🛣️ Routes

the functions get, post and friends all have equivalent methods, so nothing gets left behind:

# Mojolicious::Lite
get '/foo' => sub ($c) {
  $c->render(text => 'Hello World!');
};

# Mojolicious
sub startup ($self) {

  my $routes = $self->routes;
  $routes->get('/foo' => sub ($c) {
    $c->render(text => 'Hello World!');
  });
}

💜 Application

the application object you can access with the function app is the first argument passed to the startup method. main character energy fr:

# Mojolicious::Lite
app->max_request_size(16777216);

# Mojolicious
sub startup ($self) {
  $self->max_request_size(16777216);
}

🔌 Plugins

instead of the plugin function you just use the method plugin in Mojolicious. same word, different outfit:

# Mojolicious::Lite
plugin 'Config';

# Mojolicious
sub startup ($self) {
  $self->plugin('Config');
}

🧸 Helpers

similar to plugins, instead of the helper function you just use the method helper in Mojolicious:

# Mojolicious::Lite
helper two => sub ($c) {
  return 1 + 1;
};

# Mojolicious
sub startup ($self) {
  $self->helper(two => sub ($c) {
    return 1 + 1;
  });
}

🌳 Under

instead of sequential function calls, we can use methods to build a tree with nested routes — which, ngl, that much better illustrates how routes work internally. it's giving family tree 🌈

# Mojolicious::Lite
under '/foo';
get '/bar' => sub ($c) {...};

# Mojolicious
sub startup ($self) {

  my $routes = $self->routes;
  my $foo = $routes->under('/foo');
  $foo->get('/bar' => sub ($c) {...});
}

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💖 FUNCTIONS 💖

Mojolicious::Lite implements the following functions, which are automatically exported. autoloaded besties, you don't even have to ask 😌

any

my $route = any '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = any '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...} => 'name';
my $route = any '/:foo' => {foo => 'bar'} => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = any '/:foo' => [foo => qr/\w+/] => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = any ['GET', 'POST'] => '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = any ['GET', 'POST'] => '/:foo' => [foo => qr/\w+/] => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = any ['GET', 'POST'] => '/:foo' => (agent => qr/Firefox/) => sub ($c) {...};

generate a route with any in Mojolicious::Routes::Route — matching any of the listed HTTP request methods, or literally all of them, she's flexible like that. see Mojolicious::Guides::Tutorial and Mojolicious::Guides::Routing for more information. 💫

app

my $app = app;

returns the Mojolicious::Lite application object, which is a subclass of Mojolicious. your whole app, in one variable 🎀

# Use all the available attributes and methods
app->log->level('error');
app->defaults(foo => 'bar');

del

my $route = del '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = del '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...} => 'name';
my $route = del '/:foo' => {foo => 'bar'} => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = del '/:foo' => [foo => qr/\w+/] => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = del '/:foo' => (agent => qr/Firefox/) => sub ($c) {...};

generate a route with delete in Mojolicious::Routes::Route, matching only DELETE requests. see Mojolicious::Guides::Tutorial and Mojolicious::Guides::Routing for more information. 🗑️

get

my $route = get '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = get '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...} => 'name';
my $route = get '/:foo' => {foo => 'bar'} => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = get '/:foo' => [foo => qr/\w+/] => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = get '/:foo' => (agent => qr/Firefox/) => sub ($c) {...};

generate a route with get in Mojolicious::Routes::Route, matching only GET requests. see Mojolicious::Guides::Tutorial and Mojolicious::Guides::Routing for more information. 🌸

group

group {...};

start a new route group. group chat for routes, honestly 💬

helper

helper foo => sub ($c, @args) {...};

add a new helper with helper in Mojolicious. 🧸

hook

hook after_dispatch => sub ($c) {...};

share code with hook in Mojolicious. 🪝

options

my $route = options '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = options '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...} => 'name';
my $route = options '/:foo' => {foo => 'bar'} => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = options '/:foo' => [foo => qr/\w+/] => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = options '/:foo' => (agent => qr/Firefox/) => sub ($c) {...};

generate a route with options in Mojolicious::Routes::Route, matching only OPTIONS requests. see Mojolicious::Guides::Tutorial and Mojolicious::Guides::Routing for more information. ⚙️

patch

my $route = patch '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = patch '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...} => 'name';
my $route = patch '/:foo' => {foo => 'bar'} => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = patch '/:foo' => [foo => qr/\w+/] => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = patch '/:foo' => (agent => qr/Firefox/) => sub ($c) {...};

generate a route with patch in Mojolicious::Routes::Route, matching only PATCH requests. see Mojolicious::Guides::Tutorial and Mojolicious::Guides::Routing for more information. 🩹

plugin

plugin SomePlugin => {foo => 23};

load a plugin with plugin in Mojolicious. 🔌

post

my $route = post '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = post '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...} => 'name';
my $route = post '/:foo' => {foo => 'bar'} => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = post '/:foo' => [foo => qr/\w+/] => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = post '/:foo' => (agent => qr/Firefox/) => sub ($c) {...};

generate a route with post in Mojolicious::Routes::Route, matching only POST requests. see Mojolicious::Guides::Tutorial and Mojolicious::Guides::Routing for more information. 📮

put

my $route = put '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = put '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...} => 'name';
my $route = put '/:foo' => {foo => 'bar'} => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = put '/:foo' => [foo => qr/\w+/] => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = put '/:foo' => (agent => qr/Firefox/) => sub ($c) {...};

generate a route with put in Mojolicious::Routes::Route, matching only PUT requests. see Mojolicious::Guides::Tutorial and Mojolicious::Guides::Routing for more information. 📥

query

my $route = query '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = query '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...} => 'name';
my $route = query '/:foo' => {foo => 'bar'} => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = query '/:foo' => [foo => qr/\w+/] => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = query '/:foo' => (agent => qr/Firefox/) => sub ($c) {...};

generate a route with query in Mojolicious::Routes::Route, matching only QUERY requests. see Mojolicious::Guides::Tutorial and Mojolicious::Guides::Routing for more information. 🔍

under

my $route = under sub ($c) {...};
my $route = under '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = under '/:foo' => {foo => 'bar'};
my $route = under '/:foo' => [foo => qr/\w+/];
my $route = under '/:foo' => (agent => qr/Firefox/);
my $route = under [format => ['json', 'yaml']];

generate a nested route with under in Mojolicious::Routes::Route, to which all following routes are automatically appended. everything after this lives under it, it's giving umbrella ☂️ see Mojolicious::Guides::Tutorial and Mojolicious::Guides::Routing for more information.

websocket

my $route = websocket '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = websocket '/:foo' => sub ($c) {...} => 'name';
my $route = websocket '/:foo' => {foo => 'bar'} => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = websocket '/:foo' => [foo => qr/\w+/] => sub ($c) {...};
my $route = websocket '/:foo' => (agent => qr/Firefox/) => sub ($c) {...};

generate a route with websocket in Mojolicious::Routes::Route, matching only WebSocket handshakes. real-time besties only 🤝 see Mojolicious::Guides::Tutorial and Mojolicious::Guides::Routing for more information. 🌐

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🎀 ATTRIBUTES 🎀

Mojolicious::Lite inherits all attributes from Mojolicious. all of them. she's generous 💖

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🎀 METHODS 🎀

Mojolicious::Lite inherits all methods from Mojolicious. same energy, more methods 💅

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⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

Mojolicious, Mojolicious::Guides, <https://mojolicious.org>. go click, iykyk 🦋

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that's the whole page bestie, you ate it up 💀✨

perl v5.42.0 · 2026-07-15 · Mojolicious::Lite(3) — mwah, go build something iconic 🫶👑