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Laravel is a PHP framework for building web applications. It gives a project a structure and ready-made tools for common tasks, so you can focus on the application rather than wiring every piece from scratch. You can use it to build a full-stack site that serves its own pages or as an API backend for a separate web or mobile frontend. Laravel’s documentation describes it as “a web application framework with expressive, elegant syntax.”
What Laravel does
A framework provides conventions and shared components for organizing an application. In Laravel, that includes ways to receive web requests, decide what response to send, work with databases, and handle other recurring application needs. You still write the application’s behavior and configure the services it depends on; Laravel supplies an established structure for doing that work.
Laravel is built with PHP. A typical request can pass through a route, optionally through middleware, and into a controller or other application logic. That logic may retrieve data through a model and return a rendered view. This structure helps make an application easier to organize as it grows.
What you need to learn first
Routes, controllers, and views
Route definitions live in the project’s routes directory. The default web.php routes receive web middleware for features such as session state, CSRF protection, and cookie encryption. Controllers and middleware are in the HTTP area; views and frontend source assets are in resources. API routes can be added separately for stateless endpoints. See Laravel’s directory structure documentation.
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Think of a route as the mapping from a URL and HTTP method to the work the application should do. A controller can keep that work organized, while a view defines the page returned to a browser. A small application may use a simple route directly; larger features often benefit from controllers and other dedicated classes.
Models and database work
Laravel’s Eloquent ORM lets application code interact with database records through models. A model represents and works with a database table, and can retrieve, insert, update, and delete records. The database still needs to be configured for the application. Laravel groups migrations, factories, and seeders in the database directory. Read the Eloquent getting-started guide alongside the directory structure guide.
Middleware and other framework facilities
Middleware can run around a request to apply shared behavior, such as the web protections used by the default web routes. Laravel also provides facilities for dependency injection, database abstraction, queues, scheduled jobs, and testing. Those are useful capabilities to encounter over time, not a checklist you must master before building a first page. Laravel’s installation overview and testing documentation explain more.
Choosing a way to build the interface
You can let Laravel render a full-stack application, or use it to provide an API for a separate web or mobile frontend. If you are building the interface with Laravel, its current starter kits offer scaffolding for common project pieces, including routes, controllers, views, and authentication. A starter kit is optional: it gives you a starting point to inspect and customize, rather than a requirement for using Laravel.
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|---|---|---|
| Livewire | Reactive interfaces using PHP and Blade | You want to build interactive pages primarily with Laravel and PHP. |
| React | JavaScript frontend using Inertia | You or your team already work comfortably with React. |
| Svelte | JavaScript frontend using Inertia | You or your team prefer Svelte. |
| Vue | JavaScript frontend using Inertia | You or your team prefer Vue. |
These are different approaches, not a ranking of which is best. Choose based on the interface you want to build and the skills you already have; for a separate frontend or mobile client, an API backend may fit better. Kit availability and details can change, so check the current starter-kit documentation before following setup instructions.
Creating a first Laravel project
The following is Laravel’s documented quick-start shape, not the only installation method. The installer prompts you for choices such as the testing framework, database, and starter kit.
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Install PHP and Composer, then install the Laravel installer. For frontend asset compilation, have Node/NPM or Bun available. If PHP and Composer are not installed, Laravel documents a one-command setup option and Laravel Herd as alternatives; Herd is not mandatory.
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In a terminal, create a project by running
laravel new example-app, then answer the installer prompts.Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
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Enter the project directory and install frontend dependencies using the package manager and instructions for the project you created. The prompts and starter kit you chose determine the relevant setup.
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Start the local development environment with
composer run dev. The documented example serves the local application athttp://localhost:8000.
For exact prerequisites and current commands, use the Laravel installation overview. A local development server is for local work; it is not a general instruction for deploying a production application.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Keep documentation matched to your Laravel version
Laravel’s documentation surfaced Laravel 13 as the current line, while the Laravel 12 release notes give Laravel 12 a release date of February 24, 2025, and a security-fix support end date of February 24, 2027. Those release notes also warn that major releases may introduce breaking changes. Check which version your project uses, then follow documentation and tutorials for that version rather than assuming a command or requirement applies to every release. See the Laravel 12 release notes and the current installation overview.
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If PHP is new to you, begin with the PHP fundamentals lessons in Laravel Learn.
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Work through Laravel Learn’s “Getting Started with Laravel” course. It guides learners through a first full-stack application and introduces routing, controllers, views, and Eloquent.
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Build a small feature and follow its path through a route, application logic, a view, and—if it needs persistent data—a model and database. Add testing and other framework facilities as the project gives you a reason to use them.
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Use the Eloquent guide and the Laravel Bootcamp to practice building a first application, while checking that instructions match your installed Laravel version.
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Laravel Learn and the cited documentation are official learning resources. The book Laravel: Up & Running, 3rd Edition is an optional beginner-to-intermediate reference according to its publisher page; consult version-matched documentation for current instructions.
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