Laravel is an open source and completely free web framework to make custom applications. It runs on PHP, and today we will talk about why the framework could be an excellent choice for your business.
What Is It Used For?
Laravel’s primary use is building custom web applications using PHP. It is a web framework that deals with many things that people find annoying to build themselves—think routing, authentication, and templating HTML.
It is entirely server-side since it runs on PHP and focuses highly on data manipulation as well as sticking to a Model-View-Controller (MVC) design. Laravel provides you with a solid foundation for you to build off of—and it does it well.
Laravel is home to many built-in features for making web apps easier and faster to build. Here are some that web developers love:
– Modular packaging system with dependency management. This allows you to add functionalities easily and avoid writing them from scratch. You have the option to create your own packages for code, or you can install ready-to-use packages through Composer.
– Complete authentication.
– Object-relational mapping (ORM). ORM presents database tables as classes for easy data manipulation and access.
– Command-line interface comes with several pre-built commands.
– Automatic testing is provided as an integral part of Laravel.
– Portable, virtual development environment.
– Caching allows for data to be stored easily and quickly retrieved.
What Is a PHP Framework?
PHP is an open-source, server-side scripting language. It is a language widely used for web development, and as of early 2021, almost 80% of all websites are using PHP. Although many people may not be entirely familiar with PHP, almost everyone is familiar with one of the most popular PHP applications—WordPress.
A PHP framework gives a set of code libraries containing pre-programmed modules, which helps users build applications quicker. PHP offers web developers many benefits such as rapid development, enhanced security, and a reduced need to write code. Also, PHP frameworks typically require less maintenance compared to applications that are built from the ground up.
How Does It Work?
Laravel uses a Model-View-Controller design pattern that breaks down an application into three fundamental parts.
The “Model” represents the data shape that your app operates on. For example, say you have a table of users with a list of posts they’ve made; that would be your model.
The “Controller” is what interacts with this model. When a user requests to see their posts page, the controller communicates with the model and retrieves the information. If the user wanted to make a new post, the controller would update the model. The controller is home to a majority of the logic for your app.
The controller uses the retrieved information to construct a “View,” which is a template that the model can be plugged into and displayed that the controller can then manipulate. The view is all the HTML components of your application.
Front-end or Back-end?
Laravel is mainly a back-end development framework; however, it does offer some degree of front-end functionality. As a result, you are able to develop full-stack apps, which means you can build apps with features that typically require a back-end, like exports, user accounts, order management, etc.
Is It a CMS?
Laravel gives you complete control over your app, unlike CMS’ like Drupal or WordPress. With Laravel, everything is done in code as opposed to Drupal. In Drupal, you can build functional websites without writing a single line of code.
CMS’ come with basic functionalities and are built over top of a framework. So, Laravel is a framework that can be used to build apps like CMS platforms.
Conclusion
Laravel allows web developers to build effective and robust back-ends for their web development projects, whether it is an enterprise solution or a simple one-page website. In addition, they are home to an extensive set of valuable tools that automate and simplify many web development tasks to save web developers time and effort.
If you want to create a compelling and stable web application for your business, contact us. At New Target, our team of Laravel developers can build you outstanding and engaging web applications for your business.