Laravel is an open-source PHP framework that is strong and easy to use. It follows the model-view-controller (MVC) design pattern. Laravel uses parts of other frameworks to help build web applications. This makes the web applications more organized and practical.
Laravel has many features from other PHP frameworks like CodeIgniter and Yii, as well as from other programming languages like Ruby on Rails. These features help speed up web development.
If you know basic and advanced PHP, Laravel will make your job easier. It saves you a lot of time when building a website from scratch. Additionally, a website built with Laravel is secure and can prevent various web attacks.
Advantages of Laravel:
Laravel offers you the following advantages, when you are designing a web application based on it −
- The web application becomes more scalable, owing to the Laravel framework.
- Considerable time is saved in designing the web application, since Laravel reuses the components from other framework in developing web application.
- It includes namespaces and interfaces, thus helps to organize and manage resources
Composer:
Composer is a tool that manages all the dependencies and libraries for a project. It lets you create a project based on a specific framework, like Laravel. With Composer, you can easily install third-party libraries.
All the dependencies are listed in a file called composer.json, which is located in the source folder.
Artisan:
Command line interface used in Laravel is called Artisan. It includes a set of commands which assists in building a web application. These commands are incorporated from Symphony framework, resulting in add-on features in Laravel 5.1 (latest version of Laravel).
Features of Laravel:
Modularity:
Laravel includes 20 built-in libraries and modules that help improve the application. Each module is connected with the Composer dependency manager, making updates easy.
Testability:
Laravel has features and tools that help you test your code with different test cases. This helps ensure the code meets the requirements.
Routing
Laravel provides a flexible approach to the user to define routes in the web application. Routing helps to scale the application in a better way and increases its performance.
Configuration Management
A web application designed in Laravel will be running on different environments, which means that there will be a constant change in its configuration. Laravel provides a consistent approach to handle the configuration in an efficient way.
Query Builder and ORM
Laravel includes a query builder that makes it easy to query databases using simple chain methods. It also has an ORM (Object Relational Mapper) called Eloquent for working with database records.
Schema Builder:
Schema Builder maintains the database definitions and schema in PHP code. It also maintains a track of changes with respect to database migrations.
Template Engine:
Laravel uses the Blade Template engine, a lightweight template language used to design hierarchical blocks and layouts with predefined blocks that include dynamic content.
E-mail:
Laravel includes a mail class which helps in sending mail with rich content and attachments from the web application.
Authentication:
User authentication is a common feature in web applications. Laravel eases designing authentication as it includes features such as register, forgot password and send password reminders.
Redis:
Laravel uses Redis to connect to an existing session and general-purpose cache. Redis interacts with session directly.
Queues:
Laravel includes queue services like emailing large number of users or a specified Cron job. These queues help in completing tasks in an easier manner without waiting for the previous task to be completed.
Event and Command Bus:
Laravel 5.1 includes Command Bus which helps in executing commands and dispatch events in a simple way. The commands in Laravel act as per the application’s lifecycle.