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Guide · Open source

How to use Laravel framework: setup, core tools and tips

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

Laravel is an open-source web application framework written in PHP. It gives you ready-made tools for routing, database migrations, background jobs, caching, sessions and real-time event broadcasting. This guide explains what the framework includes, what you need before starting, how to get the code, and where to learn it so you can build your first application.

Laravellaravel/framework · ★ 35k · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Check prerequisites. Make sure PHP and Composer are installed on your machine.
  2. 2Clone the repository. Run the git clone command from the README to get the framework core code.
  3. 3Read the documentation. Start with the official Laravel docs at laravel.com/docs to learn routing, migrations and queues.
  4. 4Follow a guided tutorial. Use Laravel Learn to build an application step by step.
  5. 5Build an application in the main repository. Use the main Laravel repository linked from the README to create an actual application.

What Laravel is and what it includes

Laravel is a web application framework with expressive, elegant syntax. It is meant to handle common chores that most web projects share, so you do not have to assemble many separate libraries yourself.

  • Routing engine for mapping URLs to code
  • Dependency injection container
  • Session and cache storage with multiple back-ends
  • Database-agnostic schema migrations
  • Background job processing (queues)
  • Real-time event broadcasting

What you need before you start

The README lists PHP and Composer as the prerequisites. Laravel is written in and for PHP, so this guide assumes you are comfortable with PHP or willing to learn it. If you do not use PHP, Laravel is not the right tool.

  • PHP installed on your machine
  • Composer, the PHP package manager

Get the Laravel framework code

The README shows how to clone the repository. This repository holds the core framework code only. To build an actual application, the README points you to the separate main Laravel repository instead.

  • Clone this repository to read or work on the framework core
  • Use the main Laravel repository if you want to start an application
git clone https://github.com/laravel/framework

Learn Laravel with the official resources

Laravel has extensive documentation and a video tutorial library. The README describes Laravel Learn as a guided path to building a modern Laravel application. Laracasts offers a large set of video tutorials on Laravel, modern PHP, unit testing and JavaScript.

  • Official documentation at laravel.com/docs
  • Laravel Learn for guided application building
  • Laracasts for video tutorials

Know when Laravel fits your project

Laravel suits PHP developers building web applications or APIs, teams that want built-in tools instead of many separate libraries, and projects that need background job queues or real-time broadcasting. It is less suited to developers who want a very small framework, because Laravel ships with many built-in components.

  • Good fit: PHP web apps and APIs, queues, broadcasting
  • Less suited: minimal frameworks, non-PHP stacks

What people use it for

  • Building web applications written in PHP
  • Creating APIs with built-in routing and tools
  • Running background jobs through queues
  • Adding real-time event broadcasting to a web app
  • Learning server-side web development with extensive tutorials

Frequently asked questions

What are the requirements to use Laravel?

The README lists PHP and Composer as prerequisites. Laravel is written in and for PHP, so you need a working PHP setup to use it.

Is Laravel framework free?

Yes. The Laravel framework is open-source software licensed under the MIT license, as stated in the README and the repository's license file.

How do I install Laravel?

The README shows how to clone this repository with git clone https://github.com/laravel/framework. To build an application, the README points to the main Laravel repository instead.

Is Laravel good for beginners?

The README says Laravel has extensive documentation and video tutorials, and Laravel Learn guides you through building an application. It is a reasonable choice if you are learning PHP web development.

What are alternatives to Laravel?

Projects comparable to Laravel listed in this directory include Symfony, Django, Ruby on Rails and Express. Pick based on your language: Symfony is PHP, Django is Python, Rails is Ruby and Express is JavaScript.

Why is my Laravel project not working?

This source does not include troubleshooting steps. Check the official documentation at laravel.com/docs and confirm your PHP and Composer setup first.

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Our verdict

Laravel is a good choice for PHP developers and teams who want a large built-in toolset, including queues and broadcasting, and for beginners who value documentation. If you do not use PHP, or you want a very small framework with few built-in components, pick something else.

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