App feature works when served with "php artisan serve" but not with Herd

It sounds like the issue you're encountering is related to the environment configuration differences between php artisan serve and Herd. Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue:

1. Check Herd's Configuration: Ensure that Herd is configured correctly and has all the necessary extensions and permissions to run the spatie/laravel-image-optimizer package. Sometimes, different servers have different configurations which can lead to such issues.

2. Check for Required Binaries: The spatie/laravel-image-optimizer package relies on external binaries like jpegoptim, optipng, pngquant, etc. Make sure these binaries are installed and accessible in the environment where Herd is running.

3. Log Errors: Add logging to your image optimization process to capture any errors or issues that might be occurring when using Herd. This can help you pinpoint the problem.

   use Spatie\ImageOptimizer\OptimizerChainFactory;
   use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Log;
   
   public function optimizeImage($path)
   {
       try {
           $optimizerChain = OptimizerChainFactory::create();
           $optimizerChain->optimize($path);
           Log::info('Image optimized successfully: ' . $path);
       } catch (\Exception $e) {
           Log::error('Image optimization failed: ' . $e->getMessage());
       }
   }
   

4. Compare PHP Configurations: Compare the PHP configurations (phpinfo()) between php artisan serve and Herd. Look for differences in settings, extensions, and environment variables that might affect the image optimization process.

5. Check File Permissions: Ensure that the directories and files involved in the upload and optimization process have the correct permissions. Sometimes, different servers handle file permissions differently.

6. Environment Variables: Ensure that any environment variables required by the spatie/laravel-image-optimizer package are set correctly in Herd's environment.

7. Run Optimization Manually: Try running the optimization commands manually in the Herd environment to see if they work outside of the Laravel context. This can help you determine if the issue is with the server configuration or the Laravel integration.

   jpegoptim /path/to/image.jpg
   optipng /path/to/image.png
   

8. Check Herd Logs: Review Herd's logs for any errors or warnings that might provide more insight into why the optimization is not working.

By following these steps, you should be able to identify the root cause of the issue and resolve it. If you still encounter problems, consider reaching out to the Herd community or the maintainers of the spatie/laravel-image-optimizer package for further assistance.