Laravel

Laravel Skill

Comprehensive assistance with Laravel 12.x development, including routing, Eloquent ORM, migrations, authentication, API development, and modern PHP patterns.

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

Quick Reference

Basic Routing

// Basic routes
Route::get('/users', [UserController::class, 'index']);
Route::post('/users', [UserController::class, 'store']);

// Route parameters
Route::get('/users/{id}', function ($id) {
    return User::find($id);
});

// Named routes
Route::get('/profile', ProfileController::class)->name('profile');

// Route groups with middleware
Route::middleware(['auth'])->group(function () {
    Route::get('/dashboard', [DashboardController::class, 'index']);
    Route::resource('posts', PostController::class);
});

Eloquent Model Basics

// Define a model with relationships
namespace App\Models;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\HasMany;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\BelongsTo;

class Post extends Model
{
    protected $fillable = ['title', 'content', 'user_id'];

    protected $casts = [
        'published_at' => 'datetime',
    ];

    public function user(): BelongsTo
    {
        return $this->belongsTo(User::class);
    }

    public function comments(): HasMany
    {
        return $this->hasMany(Comment::class);
    }
}

Database Migrations

// Create a migration
use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;

return new class extends Migration
{
    public function up(): void
    {
        Schema::create('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
            $table->id();
            $table->foreignId('user_id')->constrained()->cascadeOnDelete();
            $table->string('title');
            $table->text('content');
            $table->timestamp('published_at')->nullable();
            $table->timestamps();

            $table->index(['user_id', 'published_at']);
        });
    }

    public function down(): void
    {
        Schema::dropIfExists('posts');
    }
};

Form Validation

// Controller validation
public function store(Request $request)
{
    $validated = $request->validate([
        'title' => 'required|max:255',
        'content' => 'required',
        'email' => 'required|email|unique:users',
        'tags' => 'array|min:1',
        'tags.*' => 'string|max:50',
    ]);

    return Post::create($validated);
}

// Form Request validation
namespace App\Http\Requests;

use Illuminate\Foundation\Http\FormRequest;

class StorePostRequest extends FormRequest
{
    public function rules(): array
    {
        return [
            'title' => 'required|max:255',
            'content' => 'required|min:100',
        ];
    }
}

Eloquent Query Builder

// Common query patterns
// Eager loading to avoid N+1 queries
$posts = Post::with(['user', 'comments'])
    ->where('published_at', '<=', now())
    ->orderBy('published_at', 'desc')
    ->paginate(15);

// Conditional queries
$query = Post::query();

if ($request->has('search')) {
    $query->where('title', 'like', "%{$request->search}%");
}

if ($request->has('author')) {
    $query->whereHas('user', function ($q) use ($request) {
        $q->where('name', $request->author);
    });
}

$posts = $query->get();

API Resource Controllers

namespace App\Http\Controllers\Api;

use App\Models\Post;
use App\Http\Resources\PostResource;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class PostController extends Controller
{
    public function index()
    {
        return PostResource::collection(
            Post::with('user')->latest()->paginate()
        );
    }

    public function store(Request $request)
    {
        $post = Post::create($request->validated());

        return new PostResource($post);
    }

    public function show(Post $post)
    {
        return new PostResource($post->load('user', 'comments'));
    }

    public function update(Request $request, Post $post)
    {
        $post->update($request->validated());

        return new PostResource($post);
    }
}

API Resources (Transformers)

namespace App\Http\Resources;

use Illuminate\Http\Resources\Json\JsonResource;

class PostResource extends JsonResource
{
    public function toArray($request): array
    {
        return [
            'id' => $this->id,
            'title' => $this->title,
            'slug' => $this->slug,
            'excerpt' => $this->excerpt,
            'content' => $this->when($request->routeIs('posts.show'), $this->content),
            'author' => new UserResource($this->whenLoaded('user')),
            'comments_count' => $this->when($this->comments_count, $this->comments_count),
            'published_at' => $this->published_at?->toISOString(),
            'created_at' => $this->created_at->toISOString(),
        ];
    }
}

Authentication with Sanctum

// API token authentication setup
// In config/sanctum.php - configure stateful domains

// Issue tokens
use Laravel\Sanctum\HasApiTokens;

class User extends Authenticatable
{
    use HasApiTokens;
}

// Login endpoint
public function login(Request $request)
{
    $credentials = $request->validate([
        'email' => 'required|email',
        'password' => 'required',
    ]);

    if (!Auth::attempt($credentials)) {
        return response()->json(['message' => 'Invalid credentials'], 401);
    }

    $token = $request->user()->createToken('api-token')->plainTextToken;

    return response()->json(['token' => $token]);
}

// Protect routes
Route::middleware('auth:sanctum')->group(function () {
    Route::get('/user', fn(Request $r) => $r->user());
});

Jobs and Queues

// Create a job
namespace App\Jobs;

use Illuminate\Bus\Queueable;
use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;
use Illuminate\Queue\InteractsWithQueue;

class ProcessVideo implements ShouldQueue
{
    use InteractsWithQueue, Queueable;

    public function __construct(
        public Video $video
    ) {}

    public function handle(): void
    {
        // Process the video
        $this->video->process();
    }
}

// Dispatch jobs
ProcessVideo::dispatch($video);
ProcessVideo::dispatch($video)->onQueue('videos')->delay(now()->addMinutes(5));

Service Container and Dependency Injection

// Bind services in AppServiceProvider
use App\Services\PaymentService;

public function register(): void
{
    $this->app->singleton(PaymentService::class, function ($app) {
        return new PaymentService(
            config('services.stripe.secret')
        );
    });
}

// Use dependency injection in controllers
public function __construct(
    protected PaymentService $payment
) {}

public function charge(Request $request)
{
    return $this->payment->charge(
        $request->user(),
        $request->amount
    );
}

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

Common Patterns

Repository Pattern

interface PostRepositoryInterface
{
    public function all();
    public function find(int $id);
    public function create(array $data);
}

class PostRepository implements PostRepositoryInterface
{
    public function all()
    {
        return Post::with('user')->latest()->get();
    }

    public function find(int $id)
    {
        return Post::with('user', 'comments')->findOrFail($id);
    }
}

Action Classes (Single Responsibility)

class CreatePost
{
    public function execute(array $data): Post
    {
        return DB::transaction(function () use ($data) {
            $post = Post::create($data);
            $post->tags()->attach($data['tag_ids']);
            event(new PostCreated($post));
            return $post;
        });
    }
}

Query Scopes

class Post extends Model
{
    public function scopePublished($query)
    {
        return $query->where('published_at', '<=', now());
    }

    public function scopeByAuthor($query, User $user)
    {
        return $query->where('user_id', $user->id);
    }
}

// Usage
Post::published()->byAuthor($user)->get();

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.)