laravel

name	laravel
description	Laravel PHP web framework. Use when building Laravel apps, Eloquent ORM models, Artisan CLI commands, Blade templates, Livewire/Inertia.js, Sail Docker config, or PHPUnit testing.

laravel

Expressive PHP framework with elegant syntax and batteries-included tooling.

Core Concepts

• Eloquent ORM: Active Record implementation with fluent query builder, relationships, and mutators
• Artisan CLI: code generation, migrations, queue management, and custom commands via php artisan
• Blade templates: lightweight template engine with inheritance, components, and direct PHP support
• Service Container: automatic dependency injection, binding interfaces to implementations

Common Patterns

• Livewire: full-stack PHP components without writing JavaScript, real-time validation
• Inertia.js: build SPAs using server-side routing and client-side Vue/React
• Middleware pipeline: HTTP request filters for auth, CORS, rate limiting, and sanitization
• Queue/Jobs: async processing with Redis, database, or SQS with retry and failure handling

Best Practices

• Repository pattern for complex queries, Eloquent for simple CRUD to keep controllers lean
• Form Request validation classes instead of inline validation in controllers
• Sail for Docker development: consistent PHP/MySQL/Redis environment per project
• PHPUnit with feature tests covering HTTP endpoints, database assertions, and mail fakes

Common Code Patterns

• Route::resource('posts', PostController::class) for RESTful resource routing
• Post::with('comments.user')->where('published', true)->get() for eager loading