- Controllers/: Contains controllers that handle user requests and return responses.
- Middleware/: Filters HTTP requests before they reach the controller. Used for tasks like authentication and logging.
- Requests/: Contains form request classes for validating and authorizing incoming data before reaching the controller.
- .env - The environment configuration file, where sensitive data (e.g., database credentials) is stored.
- artisan - The Artisan command-line interface for Laravel.
- composer.json - Composer dependency management configuration.
- package.json - Node.js dependency management file.
- webpack.mix.js - Configuration for asset compilation using Laravel Mix.
- phpunit.xml - PHPUnit configuration for running tests.
app/ Directory Overview
The app/ directory contains the core logic and functionality
of your Laravel application. Below is a detailed description of each folder within
app/:
Subdirectories inside app/
Console/
The Console/ directory contains custom Artisan commands that you can run
from the command line. You can define custom commands here to automate tasks within your
application.
Events/
The Events/ directory contains event classes. These are used to decouple
various parts of your application and can be triggered in response to certain actions,
like sending a welcome email when a user registers.
Exceptions/
The Exceptions/ directory contains classes that handle errors and
exceptions. The Handler.php file is where you define custom exception
handling logic.
Http/
The Http/ directory contains everything related to HTTP requests, including:
Models/
The Models/ directory contains Eloquent models, which represent database
tables and allow interaction with your application's data.
Policies/
The Policies/ directory contains classes that define the authorization logic
for various resources in your application. It helps manage user permissions.
Providers/
The Providers/ directory contains service providers, which are responsible
for bootstrapping the application and binding services into Laravel's service container.
bootstrap/ Directory Overview
The bootstrap/ directory is responsible for initializing and
bootstrapping your application. Below is a description of the subdirectories and files within
bootstrap/:
app.php
The app.php This file is one of the first files to be
located in the system and its purpose is to load the application’s configurations such
as values or service providers. You can use this file anytime a request is made – it is
universal.
cache/
The cache/ directory stores cached files that help
Laravel load faster. This can include configuration caches, route caches, and compiled
views.
config/ Directory Overview
The config/ directory contains all of your application's
configuration files. These files define various settings and parameters that control the
behavior of your application. Below is a detailed description of some of the common files in
the config/ directory:
Files inside config/
app.php
The app.php configuration file is responsible for
the general settings of your application. It includes parameters like the
application name, environment, timezone, and locale. You can also configure
application-specific settings such as debugging and logging behavior here.
database.php
The database.phpWhen new connections are made,
this file stores the settings that establish the application’s database connection.
Specifically, you will be looking for the type of connection, username, password,
and host connection.
mail.php
The mail.php When set up, the mail.php file
establishes connections with your application’s server to enable users to send
emails. Here is where you can indicate SMTP, mailgun, and other mail connection
parameters like port and encryption.
Other Configuration Files
Apart from the mentioned files, the config/
directory can also contain configuration files for services like caching, queueing,
session management, broadcasting, and more. These files are typically named based on
the functionality they configure, such as cache.php,
queue.php, session.php, etc.
database/ Directory Overview
The database/ directory contains all of the
database-related files for your application. It includes things like database migrations,
seeders, and factories. Below is a detailed description of the common subdirectories and
files inside the database/ directory:
Files and Subdirectories inside
database/
factories/
The factories/a special experience documenting
collections of model factories factories designing models for creating fake
information for tests. Models are usually factories and Laravel makes it quite easy
for you to specify which models will need new model instances with random data. This
allows, for one, tests when the database is seeded with sample data.
migrations/
The migrations/ directory contains the migration
files used to modify your database schema. Each migration is responsible for
creating or altering database tables, adding columns, creating indexes, or removing
columns. You can run migrations using Artisan commands to keep your database schema
up to date.
seeders/
The seeders/ directory contains the database
seeder classes. Seeders allow you to populate your database with sample data, often
used in conjunction with factories. For example, you can define a seeder for
creating initial users or any other test data required for your application. Seeder
files can be executed using Artisan commands to insert data into your database.
public/ Directory Overview
The public/ directory is the entry point for all HTTP
requests to your Laravel application. This folder contains the publicly accessible
files, such as the index file, CSS, JS, images, and other assets that are accessible via
the web browser. Below is a detailed description of the common files and subdirectories
inside the public/ directory:
Files and Subdirectories inside
public/
index.php
The index.php file is the entry point for all
requests to your Laravel application. It is responsible for bootstrapping the
Laravel framework, handling the request, and sending the response. The
index.php file doesn't contain much application logic, as most of
the logic is handled by the Laravel framework itself.
assets/
The assets/ directory contains all publicly
accessible files such as images, CSS, JavaScript, and fonts. These assets are
usually linked or imported into your application views to provide the necessary
styles and functionality on the frontend. The assets/ folder is
typically where you place your compiled and minified CSS and JavaScript files.
resources/ Directory Overview
The resources/ directory contains all of your
application's views, language files, and raw assets like SASS or JavaScript files. This is
where you would typically place content that will be compiled or processed before being
served to users. Below is a breakdown of the files and subdirectories found inside the
resources/ directory:
Files and Subdirectories inside
resources/
views/
The views/ directory is where all of your Blade
templates reside. These files are used to generate HTML responses. Blade is
Laravel's templating engine, and it allows you to easily manage and include
components, as well as loop through data, conditionals, and more. This directory
usually contains subdirectories for various sections of the site such as layouts,
components, and the pages themselves.
lang/
The lang/ directory contains all of your
application's translation files. It allows your application to support multiple
languages by defining language files for different locales. Each language can have
its own set of files containing the translated strings for various parts of the
application.
js/
The js/ directory stores your application's raw
JavaScript files. These files are typically compiled and minified using Laravel Mix
before being served to the browser. Here you can place any custom scripts required
for your application to run on the frontend.
css/
The css/ directory contains raw CSS files that are
compiled by Laravel Mix. It may contain your base CSS or any custom styles you need
for your application. Just like JavaScript, these files can be compiled into a
single minified CSS file for production use.
sass/
The sass/ directory is where you can place your
SASS (Syntactically Awesome Stylesheets) files. These are more powerful and flexible
than regular CSS and allow you to use variables, nested rules, and mixins to make
your CSS more maintainable. Like other assets, SASS files are compiled into a final
CSS file.
routes/ Directory Overview
The routes/ directory in Laravel contains all of the route
definitions for your application. These files are responsible for defining the URLs your
application responds to and the controllers or actions that should handle those requests.
Laravel makes it easy to define routes for various types of requests such as web, API, and
console commands. Below is a breakdown of the files typically found inside the
routes/ directory:
Files and Subdirectories inside
routes/
web.php
The web.php file contains the routes that handle
web requests. These routes typically return views or render HTML responses. Routes
in this file are also automatically assigned the web middleware group,
which includes features like session state, CSRF protection, and more. In this file,
you define routes that control the behavior of your web pages, such as home pages,
dashboards, and forms.
api.php
The api.php file contains routes for handling API
requests. These routes typically return JSON responses rather than HTML. Laravel
automatically assigns routes in this file the api middleware group,
which includes features such as rate limiting and authentication. You would define
routes for your application's RESTful API here, such as fetching user data, updating
records, or processing other backend operations.
console.php
The console.php file allows you to define custom
Artisan commands for your application. Artisan is Laravel's command-line interface,
and you can use it to create commands for tasks like clearing caches, running
scheduled jobs, or interacting with the database. By adding commands to this file,
you make them available via the php artisan command in the terminal.
channels.php
The channels.php file is used to register all of
the event broadcast channels for your application. In Laravel, broadcasting allows
you to send real-time data to clients using WebSockets. This file is where you
define the channels through which your application will broadcast events, such as
user notifications or real-time chat updates.
storage/ Directory Overview
The storage/ directory in Laravel is designed to store
files that are generated by the application, including logs, file uploads, and cached data.
It is essential for managing application data that needs to be persistent but is not
suitable for being placed in the public directory. Laravel provides a convenient API for
interacting with files in this directory, ensuring security and ease of access. Below is a
breakdown of the files and subdirectories typically found inside the storage/
directory:
Files and Subdirectories inside
storage/
app/
The app/ directory inside storage/ is
used to store files that are generated by the application. These might include
user-uploaded files, processed data, or temporary files that need to persist during
the application's lifetime. Files in this directory are often stored in subfolders
for better organization.
framework/
The framework/ directory is where Laravel stores
framework-generated files, such as cached views, route caches, and session data.
This folder is essential for performance optimization as it ensures that the
framework's internal processes are streamlined by using cached data. It includes
subdirectories for caching, sessions, and more.
logs/
The logs/ directory contains all of the
application’s log files. Laravel uses the Monolog library to manage log files, which
record important events, errors, and warnings in the application. These log files
are helpful for debugging, monitoring, and maintaining the application over time.
Laravel rotates these log files automatically to prevent them from growing too
large.
tests/ Directory Overview
The tests/ directory in Laravel is where all your
application’s test files are stored. Testing is an essential part of application
development, allowing you to ensure that your application is functioning as expected.
Laravel uses PHPUnit for running tests, and this directory typically contains two main
subdirectories: Feature/ and Unit/. Below is an overview of what
these subdirectories are for:
Files and Subdirectories inside
tests/
Feature/
The Feature/ directory is where you place tests
that interact with your application's components in a way that simulates actual user
behavior. These tests may involve making HTTP requests to the application, testing
controllers, middleware, or interactions between various parts of your application.
These tests usually test larger pieces of functionality and simulate real-world
usage.
Unit/
The Unit/ directory contains tests for small units
of functionality, typically testing individual classes or methods. These tests are
focused on isolated behavior, ensuring that a specific part of the application works
as expected in isolation. Unit tests usually test smaller, independent pieces of
logic without requiring interaction with other parts of the application.
vendor/ Directory Overview
The vendor/ directory in Laravel is automatically
created by Composer when you install dependencies for your Laravel project. It contains
all of the third-party packages and libraries that your project requires to function
properly. The contents of this directory are critical for your application’s
functionality, and it should never be edited manually.
Files and Subdirectories inside
vendor/
Composer dependencies
The vendor/ directory contains all the
libraries and packages that have been installed via Composer. When you run
composer install or composer update, Composer
downloads the required packages and places them in the vendor/
directory. This may include Laravel's own packages, as well as any third-party
libraries your application depends on, such as database connectors, utilities,
or authentication services.
Autoload Files
The vendor/ directory also includes an
autoload file, autoload.php, which is used to load the necessary
PHP classes for your application. This allows you to use all the third-party
packages installed via Composer without needing to manually include them in your
project.
Packages and Libraries
This directory contains multiple subdirectories, each for a
different package installed by Composer. The packages could include things like
guzzlehttp/guzzle (HTTP client), fideloper/proxy
(reverse proxy handling), and phpunit/phpunit (testing framework),
among many others.