- Introduction
- Why is Laravel Framework Becoming the “New Normal”
- Top Features that Make it a Developer Favorite
- Business Benefits of Choosing Laravel for your Web Projects
- Areas to Evaluate in Laravel Development
- — Stability and Version Compatibility
- — Deployment Process
- — Lack of Plain Vanilla Laravel Documentation (Just PHP and MySQL)
- — Continuous Scaling
- Why Hire Laravel Developers for your Web Projects?
- Where to Hire Laravel Developers
- — Platforms Like Toptal, Upwork, etc.
- — Hiring Freelance Laravel Developers
- — Hiring from a Laravel Development Company
- Guide to Choosing the Right Laravel Developer
- End Note
Introduction
Known to power more than 1,708,000 websites, Laravel stands out as a well-adopted framework. I’d like you to please discover how it continues to maintain its strong position in the industry.
Having gone through countless Reddit threads on Laravel being compared to other development frameworks Node, Ruby on Rails, Symfony, etc., I have come across a unanimous opinion:
“Laravel development is well adopted.”
It is often highlighted for offering a full back-end solution, streamlining tasks that typically require manual setup in other frameworks. But what actually sets Laravel apart is its ability to work smoothly with leading front-end frameworks like Vue, React, or Svelte. When combined, this ecosystem results in a high-performing full-stack solution—with minimal dependencies, excellent debugging capabilities, routing & rendering features, and an optimized ORM. And that’s exactly why the majority of companies are hiring Laravel developers for streamlined development. Let’s explore more in this area.
Why is Laravel Framework Becoming the “New Normal”
Despite several other web development frameworks, Laravel is an industry favorite that no longer needs to vie for attention.
As per the State of Laravel Survey 2024, conducted with 4000+ developers, Laravel stands tall as a preferred development platform based on the MVC (model-view-controller) architecture.
It is known to power more than 1,708,000 websites and web applications existing on the internet, based on BuiltWith’s data. (Source)
The framework holds a 7.9% share of the web development market. Coming down to only PHP-based frameworks, over 14% of developers prefer working with Laravel, among others like Symfony, CakePHP, etc. (Source)
Top Features that Make it a Developer Favorite
A rich set of features, elegant syntax, and a vast ecosystem of libraries and add-ons make it a top choice for building scalable and maintainable web applications.
1. Blade Template Engine
Laravel Blade is a lightweight yet powerful templating engine that simplifies creating dynamic and reusable layouts. With Blade, web developers can integrate CSS and JavaScript, manage template inheritance, and incorporate a range of widgets to improve the frontend experience.
2. Artisan Command-Line Tool
Artisan is Laravel’s built-in CLI that streamlines repetitive tasks for better efficiency. It can generate boilerplate code, manage database migrations, run tests (performance, load, API, security, etc), seed databases, and handle many other tasks.
3. Eloquent ORM (Object-Relational Mapping)
Another standout Laravel feature is the Eloquent ORM, a simple and intuitive method to interact with the database. At its core, Eloquent implements the Active Record pattern, which means each database table is represented by a corresponding model class in the web app. It allows developers to use typical PHP syntax instead of writing raw SQL queries from scratch, accelerating the entire process.
4. Reverse Routing
Laravel offers reverse routing to simplify URL management by automating the generation of links using route definitions. This ensures that any changes to routes are replicated and reflected throughout the application, reducing the risk of broken links.
5. Validation Mechanism
Laravel offers a powerful validation system that simplifies the process of validating user input. Using the ValidationRequest trait, developers can effortlessly handle HTTP request validations to check for errors and generate appropriate responses. This feature ensures data integrity and enhances the security of web applications.
6. Flexible File System Integration
Laravel development also benefits from extensive support for multiple file systems, including local storage and cloud-based services like Amazon S3. Configuring and switching between different file storage options is straightforward, allowing web developers to choose the best solution based on project requirements.
7. Localization Support
Building multilingual applications is effortless with Laravel’s localization features. The trans() helper function enables developers to manage and access strings in various languages, ensuring that applications can cater to a diverse, global audience.
Business Benefits of Choosing Laravel for your Web Projects
The above section clearly highlights why developers prefer working with Laravel. But why should you, as a business owner, choose a Laravel-based backend for your web application? Let’s see.
Better UX and Engagement: Laravel’s robust templating engine generates user-specific and mobile-responsive UIs. This results in more engaging user experiences that reduce abandonment rates while increasing conversions.
Faster Market Entry: With its built-in tools and automation capabilities, Laravel helps developers automate a major chunk of preparatory development tasks, such as generating boilerplate code. This automation adds to the production efficiency, allowing you to launch faster.
Cost-Effective Web Development: Laravel’s extensive library support and MVC architecture reduce the need for extensive custom coding, lowering development costs. This frees up resources to be allocated to other critical areas such as customer service, product expansion, etc.
Scalability and Future-Proofing: The MVC-based architecture ensures that your web apps are scalable and maintainable. With a growing business, Laravel makes it easier for you to scale these applications without major technical hurdles. The ease of scaling guarantees that your investment remains viable in the long term.
Improved Data Management and Security: Eloquent-based data management simplifies interactions between different components, reducing the likelihood of errors. Combined with the robust validation mechanisms offered by Laravel, this enhances data security and integrity, helping you foster consumer trust when visiting your website.
Consistent Performance: Laravel’s efficient routing, middleware, and caching systems ensure that your web applications perform reliably under various conditions.
Global Reach and Accessibility: With Laravel’s localization support, your web applications can easily cater to a multilingual audience, making your services accessible to a diverse, international customer base.
Areas to Evaluate in Laravel Development
Laravel offers several features that establish it as a standout web development framework. However, it also presents certain limitations and areas that are yet to match its growing popularity. Understanding these considerations is essential for making informed decisions and ensuring the success of your web projects.
Stability and Version Compatibility
Laravel evolves quickly, regularly introducing new features while phasing out older ones. While this keeps the framework modern, it can create challenges in maintaining stability. You may find yourself needing to perform major updates more frequently, sometimes twice a year, to ensure compatibility with new versions. This may also require you to hire Laravel developers for web projects that need stable performance.
Deployment Process
Although Laravel provides tools like Forge, there’s limited guidance on automating deployment with CD pipelines. Key areas like integrating with a CDN, configuring load balancers, and optimizing server/database sizes lack comprehensive documentation, making it challenging to streamline the deployment process.
Lack of Plain Vanilla Laravel Documentation (Just PHP and MySQL)
For those looking to use Laravel in its simplest form with just PHP and MySQL, the documentation can be lacking. While Laravel’s resources cover a wide range of advanced tools and features, there isn’t much focus on basic, “plain vanilla” setups. This makes it harder for developers who prefer a straightforward approach without diving into more complex integrations or features.
Continuous Scaling
While Laravel can handle large-scale applications, scaling efficiently often involves additional setup, such as optimizing databases, managing queues, and configuring load balancers. Without these elements in place, your web app may struggle to maintain performance when traffic and data requirements increase.
Intimidated by the challenges? Don’t be. There’s an easy fix to eliminate this hassle. You can hire Laravel developers in India, or outsource your web project to a Laravel development company. Here, we’ll focus on the former.
Why Hire Laravel Developers for Web Projects?
Hiring Laravel developers can work wonders for your online presence, here’s how-
1. Customized Web Solutions: When you hire Laravel developers, you gain access to professionals who understand how to tailor features and functionality to meet the unique needs of your web project, ensuring everything runs smoothly.
2. Improved Project Management and Collaboration: Hiring Laravel developers in India makes remote collaboration easy. They adapt to your time zones and work seamlessly with your team using tools like Git, ensuring no delays and smooth progress.
3. Cost and Time Efficiency: With their deep expertise in Laravel, developers save you time and money by avoiding common pitfalls, and helping your project stay on track and within budget.
4. Long-Term Maintenance and Support: When you hire Laravel developers, you can count on ongoing support. They’ll handle updates, fix bugs, and keep your application secure, so you don’t have to worry about long-term issues.
5. Reliable Deployment: Laravel developers take care of all the technical details, from setting up deployment pipelines to managing servers, so your app works consistently right from launch.
6. Security and Data Protection: They focus on securing your application with encrypted data and trusted security practices, giving you peace of mind that your information is safe.
Where to Hire Laravel Developers
There are numerous channels through which you can hire Laravel developers.
Platforms Like Toptal, Upwork, etc.
Popular platforms like Toptal, Upwork, and Freelancer offer unlimited access to a vast pool of Laravel developers. You can browse their profiles, check reviews, and hire Laravel developers you find fit for your specific project. While this is a convenient approach, it can be time-consuming to vet candidates yourself. Moreover, among such an expansive pool of potentials Laravel dev applicants, assuring developer quality can be a challenge. In most cases, the cost typically ranges from $25 to $80 per hour.
Hiring Freelance Laravel Developers
Freelancers are a flexible option, especially for small-scale projects or if you need short-term help. They often offer competitive rates, but managing freelancers can sometimes lead to inconsistencies in quality or missed deadlines, as they juggle multiple projects at once. Rates can start as low as $20 per hour and go up to $70 or more, depending on the developer’s expertise and region.
Hiring from a Laravel Development Company
You can also reach out to a Laravel development company to outsource the entire web project or hire dedicated Laravel developers from them. With either of these approaches, you benefit from experienced teams of hand-picked developers, managed services, and access to ongoing support. While this option may come with an upfront cost, it ensures greater accountability, long-term maintenance, and peace of mind knowing your project is in expert hands. You can expect rates to start from $18 per hour and can go higher, depending on the company’s reputation and developer expertise.
Guide to Choosing the Right Laravel Developer
Prioritize Relevant Experience: Hire Laravel developers with a proven track record in projects similar to yours, ensuring they meet your specific needs.
Check Technical Proficiency: Makes sure the Laravel developer is skilled in core features and related technologies like MySQL, APIs, and more.
Evaluate Problem-Solving Skills: Test their problem-solving ability. You can ask how they’ve solved certain complex challenges in their past Laravel development projects.
Discuss Long-Term Support: Opt for developers who offer ongoing support, maintenance, and security updates for your Laravel web project.
Check Client Feedback: Look at performance reviews or client testimonials, whether hiring Laravel developers in India or elsewhere, to gauge their reliability.
Test Coding Ability: You can also ask for a sample code or conduct a quick test to assess their Laravel coding standards before you hire.
Cultural Fit: Consider whether the Laravel developer aligns with your company’s values and work culture for smooth collaboration.
End Note
The benefits accompanying Laravel development are many, justifying why thousands of websites and applications have been built on this framework. However, before diving right into the process, make sure to evaluate your specific requirements. It’s the perfect framework if you can work around the various versions, deployment challenges, extensive documentation, and initially hefty setup. We’ve also discussed the perks of hiring Laravel developers as a way to step ahead of this hassle, a trend increasingly visible in this industry.
Looking ahead, Laravel-based solutions will only get more advanced, with integrations like Blockchain and AI on the horizon. Laravel-based headless CMS options are also gaining traction, offering better flexibility for multichannel content management. Laravel will remain a smart choice for development—and it could be the right one for your next project too.
How Laravel Became the New Standard for Web Development Success
Laravel Development in Focus: Why it’s the Preferred Choice
The Rise of Laravel: Why it Dominated Web Development in 2024
More About Me
Nathan Smith
contributor
Author Bio: Nathan Smith is a Technical Writer at TechnoScore with extensive knowledge of software documentation, API guides, and user experience. Mastering HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and tools like JIRA and Confluence, Nathan’s expertise covers Application Development, Software Engineering, AI/ML, QA Testing, Cloud Management, DevOps, and Staff Augmentation (Hire mobile app developers, hire web developers, and hire full stack developers, etc.). Outside of work, he enjoys traveling and food blogging.