You might have heard about Laravel. If you’re into programming, then you might be considering learning the framework that makes app development easy. Even if everything sounds too complicated, we’re here to help you understand Laravel for beginners.
Here’s everything you can learn with this guide to Laravel for dummies:Â
- What is Laravel?
- Why Use Laravel?
- Should I Learn PHP Before Laravel?
- Is Laravel Easy to Learn?
- Is Laravel a CMS?
- Getting Started with Laravel
By the end of this informative article, you should have a strong understanding of Laravel. Let’s get started!
What is Laravel?
Laravel is amongst the most popular open-source PHP frameworks. It is mainly used to design web applications. Web developers prefer using Laravel for app design due to the extensive list of features that it offers, including:Â
- Modular Packaging System: This feature allows web developers to add functions to their apps without writing the code. The Composer has many packages available, but you can also add your own to the list.Â
- Authentication System: Laravel ensures that no hacker gets into your application. Each user is assessed to verify the credentials before granting access.
- Object-Relational Mapping (ORM): Data entry and manipulation is easy with Laravel’s automatically classified database tables.Â
- Command-Line Interface (CLI): Built-in commands for programmers to use efficiently instead of writing the code.
- Automated Testing: Before you launch an application, Laravel ensures that it works smoothly through routine, automatic tests.
Why Use Laravel?
There is more than one reason why you should use Laravel. Apart from the list of features outlined above, Laravel offers ease of usage to web developers and that is why the majority of web development companies have switched to offering Laravel Development Services. Here are a few benefits of using Laravel for web development:
Model-View-Controller (MVC)
Laravel rests on the intelligent MVC architecture. Whether you are making large or small applications, Laravel makes it easy for developers to organize their files. The MVC is also incredibly easy to use and visualizes the entire development process for the developer.
Blade Template Engine
Content seeding is made simple with the latest Blade template engine. This method of data display helps web artisans develop attractive layouts without compromising on app performance and speed.Â
Symfony Console
Using Laravel for app development means quick and easy data migration. Gone are the days that you would worry about managing your files. With Laravel’s Symfony Console, the entire app database can be managed in one organized folder. This tool also helps you write skeleton code, create models, modify controllers, and more.
Artisan Tool
Instead of wasting your time on rewriting the code repeatedly, just use Laravel. The Artisan tool eliminates the need to perform repetitive tasks and allows web developers to develop well-functioning apps quickly.Â
Should I Learn PHP Before Laravel?
Now that you are convinced about using Laravel, we can move towards the first thing that you have to learn. Since Laravel is a PHP framework, you will need to learn PHP before you can use Laravel. This includes basic PHP knowledge, such as:
- Objects
- Array
- Closures
- Variable Type
- Namespaces
- Inheritance
If you don’t have a fundamental knowledge of PHP, then you cannot fully make use of Laravel. Functions like adding additional routes or modifying controllers are only possible when you have PHP coding knowledge. You can learn more about PHP here.
Is Laravel Easy to Learn?
Once you know the basics of PHP, learning Laravel for beginners is a piece of cake. Even if you get stuck, there is a range of resources that you can refer to. Written tutorials can help you build CMS with Laravel. Additionally, podcasts and videos can guide you through the process of building your first app.Â
Before you can start designing applications with Laravel, you need to have a web server with PHP on your computer. We also recommend downloading a Composer and database such as MySQL.Â
Laravel Help by Clickysoft
Is Laravel a CMS?
Many users tend to be confused about whether Laravel is a CMS or a framework.Â
To clarify, a CMS is any app with additional functions that are based on an existing framework. Popular examples of CMS include WordPress and Drupal, both of which give you limited access to customize your webpage.Â
Laravel, however, is a framework that can sustain applications. Everything in Laravel must be written in programming code, which is why basic PHP knowledge is mandatory. Ironically, Laravel can be used to build CMS platforms.Â
Learning Laravel for Beginners
Understanding Laravel for beginners is simple. Instead of jumping into complex coding, we recommend that you build a simple application first. A basic application should perform two functions:
- Have a web form with a file upload option
- Display uploaded files on a separate window
Beginners can use Laravel to try write-only applications first. This means that only the files written and uploaded by the developer will be available. Even building the most basic web application on Laravel requires knowledge. Here are four components that you should know of:
- Route
- Controller
- Template
- View
What is a Route?
The route in Laravel is used to connect your application to the internet. It also specifies the endpoint which helps your application serve a specific function. In simpler words, a route is the first component you need to work on for app development. Some routes can point to a controller that determines how your app would respond to a request.Â
When you use the route, your files will be saved under the ‘/routes’ folder in the directory. Depending on the side of your application, routes can look like this:
- web.php
- api.php
- console.php
- channels.php
What is a Controller?
We explained earlier that Laravel has an MVC architecture (Model-View-Controller). The controller is the middleman who receives a request from the client and decides what must be done.
The ‘action’ of the controller is an important part of app development. Since this is the second point of entry into the application, the action needs to deliver the correct response. Basic controllers can be defined using App\Http\Controllers\Controller: method.
If a controller action is too complex, then you can use single-action controllers through the __invoke method.
The controller returns responses such as redirecting the client, showing an error page, or other HTTP responses. While your route is always defined to an actual URL definition, the controller can be set up with an anonymous function. This helps the controller respond according to the client’s request.
What is a Template?
Laravel uses a powerful Blade template that helps web designers finish their tasks quickly and effectively. This template allows the HTML code to be broken into manageable segments for the controller to process.Â
The template is typically used to present the web artisan with a list of all uploaded files in the database.
What is a View?
Once all the components are working in harmony, the next step is to construct a view for the client. All of the HTML components in your application are displayed and can be further manipulated by the controller.Â
FINAL WORDS:
Learning Laravel for beginners might sound like a complicated task, but there is always an easy way through. You don’t need to become an expert on Laravel overnight. Remember to take your time in learning and familiarizing yourself with the programming code.Â
Programming is one of the hardest things to learn, but Laravel can make it easier. With functions like the Blade Template Engine and Artisan Tool, Laravel strives to be the most popular PHP framework in the market.Â
Learn Laravel today & hook up with any Laravel Web Development Company to build a career as a laravel developer.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS? (FAQ’s)
The learner’s level of Laravel understandability & ease depends upon previous knowledge of PHP & experience. If we consider the complexity of this platform, it shows a mid to steep curve which shows it is not too complex & anyone can learn it easily.
Basically, Laravel is PHP’s framework so if anyone isn’t familiar with PHP then it would be difficult to learn & understand the buildings & functions of Laravel.
Nowadays, Laravel is very popular as a unique and effective web development framework that supports rapid web development with a variety of advanced functions & features.
Here are some of the benefits of using Laravel as your web development framework:
- Market’s demand
- Highly popular framework
- Rapid development
- Huge ecosystem
- Strong market
- Active working community
- Better performance
In the developer’s community, Laravel is going popular & strong day by day. As per insights, the market share of Laravel is still going to increase in 2022. People who are learning a framework for future perspectives must opt for Laravel. Mastering this platform will be rewarding.
The answer to this question is subjective and entirely depends upon the learning schedules of the learner, previous experience, & the willingness to learn. If the learner is already familiar with Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) then it’ll not take a lot of time to get used to this development framework.
Learning Laravel isn’t expensive at all in fact people have learned this tool for free via tutorials & guides. On the internet, a variety of guides, tutorials, & free programs are available that offer free & paid courses to learn Laravel.
