laravel

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be triggered when:

• Building Laravel applications or APIs
• Working with Eloquent models, relationships, and queries
• Setting up authentication, authorization, or API tokens
• Creating database migrations, seeders, or factories
• Implementing middleware, service providers, or events
• Using Laravel's built-in features (queues, cache, validation, etc.)
• Troubleshooting Laravel errors or performance issues
• Following Laravel best practices and conventions
• Implementing RESTful APIs with Laravel Sanctum or Passport
• Working with Laravel Mix, Vite, or frontend assets

Reference Files

This skill includes comprehensive documentation in references/:

• other.md - Laravel 12.x installation guide and core documentation

Use the reference files for detailed information about:

• Installation and configuration
• Framework architecture and concepts
• Advanced features and packages
• Deployment and optimization

Key Concepts

MVC Architecture

Laravel follows the Model-View-Controller pattern:

• Models: Eloquent ORM classes representing database tables
• Views: Blade templates for rendering HTML
• Controllers: Handle HTTP requests and return responses

Eloquent ORM

Laravel's powerful database abstraction layer:

• Active Record pattern: Each model instance represents a database row
• Relationships: belongsTo, hasMany, belongsToMany, morphMany, etc.
• Query Builder: Fluent interface for building SQL queries
• Eager Loading: Prevent N+1 query problems with with()

Routing

Define application endpoints:

• Route methods: get, post, put, patch, delete
• Route parameters: Required {id} and optional {id?}
• Route groups: Share middleware, prefixes, namespaces
• Resource routes: Auto-generate RESTful routes

Middleware

Filter HTTP requests:

• Built-in: auth, throttle, verified, signed
• Custom: Create your own request/response filters
• Global: Apply to all routes
• Route-specific: Apply to specific routes or groups

Service Container

Laravel's dependency injection container:

• Automatic resolution: Type-hint dependencies in constructors
• Binding: Register class implementations
• Singletons: Share single instance across requests

Artisan Commands

Laravel's CLI tool:

php artisan make:model Post -mcr  # Create model, migration, controller, resource
php artisan migrate               # Run migrations
php artisan db:seed              # Seed database
php artisan queue:work           # Process queue jobs
php artisan optimize:clear       # Clear all caches

Working with This Skill

For Beginners

Start with:

1. Installation: Set up Laravel using Composer
2. Routing: Learn basic route definitions in routes/web.php
3. Controllers: Create controllers with php artisan make:controller
4. Models: Understand Eloquent basics and relationships
5. Migrations: Define database schema with migrations
6. Blade Templates: Create views with Laravel's templating engine

For Intermediate Users

Focus on:

• Form Requests: Validation and authorization in dedicated classes
• API Resources: Transform models for JSON responses
• Authentication: Implement with Laravel Breeze or Sanctum
• Relationships: Master eager loading and complex relationships
• Queues: Offload time-consuming tasks to background jobs
• Events & Listeners: Decouple application logic

For Advanced Users

Explore:

• Service Providers: Register application services
• Custom Middleware: Create reusable request filters
• Package Development: Build reusable Laravel packages
• Testing: Write feature and unit tests with PHPUnit
• Performance: Optimize queries, caching, and response times
• Deployment: CI/CD pipelines and production optimization

Navigation Tips

• Check Quick Reference for common code patterns
• Reference the official docs at https://laravel.com/docs/12.x
• Use php artisan route:list to view all registered routes
• Use php artisan tinker for interactive debugging
• Enable query logging to debug database performance

Resources

Official Documentation

• Laravel Docs: https://laravel.com/docs/12.x
• API Reference: https://laravel.com/api/12.x
• Laracasts: https://laracasts.com (video tutorials)

Community

• Laravel News: https://laravel-news.com
• Laravel Forums: https://laracasts.com/discuss
• GitHub: https://github.com/laravel/laravel

Tools

• Laravel Telescope: Debugging and monitoring
• Laravel Horizon: Queue monitoring
• Laravel Debugbar: Development debugging
• Laravel IDE Helper: IDE autocompletion

Best Practices

1. Use Form Requests: Separate validation logic from controllers
2. Eager Load Relationships: Avoid N+1 query problems
3. Use Resource Controllers: Follow RESTful conventions
4. Type Hints: Leverage PHP type declarations for better IDE support
5. Database Transactions: Wrap related database operations
6. Queue Jobs: Offload slow operations to background workers
7. Cache Queries: Cache expensive database queries
8. API Resources: Transform data consistently for APIs
9. Events: Decouple application logic with events and listeners
10. Tests: Write tests for critical application logic

Notes

• Laravel 12.x requires PHP 8.2 or higher
• Uses Composer for dependency management
• Includes Vite for asset compilation (replaces Laravel Mix)
• Supports multiple database systems (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server)
• Built-in support for queues, cache, sessions, and file storage
• Excellent ecosystem with first-party packages (Sanctum, Horizon, Telescope, etc.)

References

Quick Reference: read .claude/skills/laravel/references/quick-reference.md Common Patterns: read .claude/skills/laravel/references/common-patterns.md