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How to Create a Laravel Project: A Beginner's Guide


Laravel is a popular open-source PHP framework for developing web applications. It is known for its elegant syntax, developer-friendly tools, and robust features. This guide is for newcomers to Laravel who want to learn how to create a Laravel project.

Prerequisites

Before you start creating a Laravel project, make sure you have the following software installed on your system:

  • PHP: Laravel requires PHP 8.2 or higher.
  • Composer: It is used to install Laravel and its dependencies.
  • Node.js and NPM: Node.js and NPM (Node Package Manager).
  • Database: MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, or SQL Server.

Installation

There are several ways to create a new Laravel project. The recommended way is to use Composer:

composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel project-name

This command will create a new directory called project-name containing a fresh Laravel installation.

Using the Laravel Installer

Alternatively, you can use the Laravel Installer:

laravel new project-name

This command will also create a new Laravel project in a directory called project-name.

Directory Structure

Once the installation is complete, you can navigate to the project directory:

cd project-name

Here you will see the following directory structure:

  • app: Contains the core code of your application.
  • bootstrap: Contains the bootstrap files that are used to start the application.
  • config: Contains the configuration files for your application.
  • database: Contains the database migrations and seeds.
  • public: Contains the front controller and assets such as CSS, JavaScript, and images.
  • resources: Contains the views, language files, and raw assets.
  • routes: Contains the route definitions for your application.
  • storage: Contains the compiled Blade templates, file-based sessions, file caches, and others.
  • tests: Contains your automated tests.
  • vendor: Contains the Composer dependencies.

Starting the Development Server

To start the development server, you can use the following command:

php artisan serve

This will start the development server at http://127.0.0.1:8000.

Database Configuration

Before you can start using your application, you need to configure the database connection. You can do this by editing the .env file in the root of your project.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully created your first Laravel project. You can now start building your web application using Laravel's powerful features.

Tips for Beginners

  • Read the Laravel documentation.
  • Watch Laravel tutorial videos on YouTube.
  • Join the Laravel community on forums and social media.
  • Practice building small projects to get familiar with the framework.
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