Introduction to Laravel PHP Framework

Laravel is a powerful and popular open-source PHP framework that facilitates web application development through a clean and elegant syntax. It provides built-in tools for routing, authentication, and caching, making it easier for developers to build robust applications. In this tutorial, we will explore the key features of Laravel and guide you through setting up your first Laravel application.

Prerequisites

• Basic knowledge of PHP programming.
• A web server (Apache or Nginx) installed on your machine.
• Composer installed for managing PHP dependencies.

1. Installing Laravel

To install Laravel, you need to have Composer installed on your system. If you haven’t installed Composer yet, you can do so by running:

curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

Once Composer is set up, you can create a new Laravel project using the command:

composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel my-laravel-app

This command will create a new directory named my-laravel-app containing a fresh Laravel installation.

2. Exploring the Directory Structure

Navigate to your project directory:

cd my-laravel-app

The directory structure includes:

• app/: Contains the core application code.
• routes/: Contains the web routes.
• resources/: Contains views and frontend assets.
• public/: The entry point for the application (contains index.php).

3. Configuring Environment Settings

Open the .env file in your project directory to configure your application’s environment settings, such as database connection and application key:

APP_NAME=Laravel
APP_ENV=local
APP_KEY=base64:SomeRandomKey==
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=http://localhost

4. Running the Laravel Development Server

Laravel comes with a built-in server for development. To start it, run:

php artisan serve

This command will start the server. You can access your application in your web browser at http://localhost:8000.

5. Creating Your First Route

Edit the routes/web.php file to define a new route:

Route::get('/', function () {
    return view('welcome');
});

This route returns the default welcome view when navigating to the root URL.

6. Creating a Controller

You can create a controller to manage your application’s logic. Use the following command:

php artisan make:controller HomeController

This creates a new controller file in app/Http/Controllers. You can add methods to handle requests.

7. Conclusion

You have successfully set up a Laravel application. Laravel provides powerful tools and features for developing modern web applications efficiently. Explore its documentation and community resources to expand your knowledge and create powerful web applications!

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Dorian Kane

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