Setting up a Laravel project

Source: laravel_setup.docx — course material by Kiran V.K., published here so it is readable without a Google account.

Introduction to Laravel Setup

Setting up a Laravel project is the first step in developing a Laravel application. This section provides a comprehensive guide on how to install and configure a basic Laravel project. Laravel is a popular PHP framework known for its elegant syntax and robust features. It simplifies many common tasks in web development, making it a preferred choice for many developers.

Requirements for Laravel Installation

• Before installing Laravel, ensure that your system meets the following requirements:
• PHP 7.3 or higher.
• Composer: A dependency manager for PHP.
• Web Server: Such as Apache or Nginx.
• Database: MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite.

Installing Laravel

• Laravel can be installed in various ways, but the most common method is via Composer.
• Open a terminal or command prompt.
• Run the command: composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel yourProjectName
• This command downloads Laravel and sets up a new project named 'yourProjectName'.

Configuring the Environment

• After installation, configure the application environment.
• Navigate to the project directory.
• Rename the .env.example file to .env.
• Customize the .env file with your database and other environment settings.
• Generate an application key using php artisan key:generate.

Directory Structure Overview

• Understanding the directory structure is crucial for Laravel development.
• app/: Contains the core code of your application.
• resources/views/: Where Blade template files are stored.
• routes/: Contains all of the route definitions.
• Other directories include config/, public/, and database/.

Laravel Project Directory Structure

Root Directory

• app/: Contains the core code of your application. Subdirectories include Models and Http (Controllers).
• bootstrap/: Contains files that bootstrap the framework and configure autoloading. The app.php file bootstraps the application.
• config/: Contains all application's configuration files, like database.php for database settings.
• database/: Contains database-related files, including migrations, model factories, and seeds.
• public/: The entry point for all requests. Contains assets like images, JavaScript, and CSS files.
• resources/: Contains views, raw assets (LESS, SASS, JavaScript), and localization files. The views subdirectory holds Blade templates.
• routes/: Contains all route definitions. Includes web.php, api.php, console.php, and channels.php.
• storage/: Used for storing compiled Blade templates, file-based sessions, file caches, and other framework-generated files.
• tests/: Contains automated tests (unit and feature tests). PHPUnit is configured out of the box.
• vendor/: Contains Composer dependencies.

Key Files in the Root Directory

• .env: The application's environment configuration file for setting environment-specific variables.
• artisan: The Laravel command line tool used for tasks like migrations and seeding.
• composer.json and composer.lock: Used by Composer to manage dependencies.