Learn Laravel from Scratch [FULL BOOTCAMP COURSE]

Introduction

In this tutorial, you will learn how to build a full-stack application using Laravel by following a comprehensive bootcamp course. The project we'll create is a social media application called Chirper, which allows users to share "Chirps" to a feed. This guide will walk you through the entire process from setting up your Laravel project to deploying your application, making it perfect for beginners and those looking to deepen their understanding of Laravel's capabilities.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Laravel Project

1. Install Laravel:

   • Make sure you have Composer installed on your machine.
   • Open your terminal and run the following command to create a new Laravel project:

     laravel new chirper
     

2. Navigate to Your Project Directory:

   • Change to the newly created project directory:

     cd chirper
     

3. Serve the Application:

   • Start the Laravel development server by running:

     php artisan serve
     

   • Access your application at http://localhost:8000.

Step 2: Creating Your First Route

1. Open Routes File:

   • Navigate to the routes/web.php file in your project.

2. Define a Route:

   • Add a simple route that returns a welcome view:

     Route::get('/', function () {
         return view('welcome');
     });
     

3. Test Your Route:

   • Visit http://localhost:8000 in your browser to see the welcome page.

Step 3: Understanding MVC Architecture

1. Learn About MVC:

   • MVC stands for Model-View-Controller, a design pattern that separates your application into three main components:
     • Model: Handles data logic.
     • View: Manages the presentation layer.
     • Controller: Acts as an intermediary between Model and View.

2. Real-World Application:

   • Use MVC to organize your code effectively, making it easier to maintain and scale your application.

Step 4: Working with the Database

1. Set Up Database Configuration:

   • Configure your database settings in the .env file (e.g., update DB_DATABASE, DB_USERNAME, and DB_PASSWORD).

2. Run Migrations:

   • Create your database tables using Laravel migrations:

     php artisan migrate
     

Step 5: Creating Your First Model

1. Generate a Model:

   • Create a model for Chirps using:

     php artisan make:model Chirp -m
     

   • This command also creates a migration file.

2. Define the Chirp Schema:

   • Open the migration file in database/migrations and define the schema for your Chirps table.

3. Run the Migration:

   • Execute the migration to create the table:

     php artisan migrate
     

Step 6: Showing the Feed

1. Create a Feed View:

   • Create a view file in resources/views called feed.blade.php.

2. Fetch Chirps in a Controller:

   • Generate a controller:

     php artisan make:controller ChirpController
     

   • In your controller, fetch all Chirps and pass them to the feed view.

Step 7: Creating and Storing Chirps

1. Create a Form for Chirps:

   • In your feed view, add a form to submit new Chirps.

2. Store Chirps in the Database:

   • In your ChirpController, create a method to handle form submission and store Chirps in the database.

Step 8: Edit and Delete Chirps

1. Implement Edit Functionality:

   • Create routes and methods in your controller to edit existing Chirps.

2. Implement Delete Functionality:

   • Add functionality to delete Chirps by creating a route and method in your controller.

Step 9: Implementing Basic Authentication

1. Set Up Authentication:

   • Use Laravel's built-in authentication scaffolding:

     composer require laravel/ui
     php artisan ui vue --auth
     npm install && npm run dev
     

2. Test Registration and Login:

   • Access the registration and login routes to test user authentication.

Conclusion

By following this tutorial, you have laid the groundwork for your first Laravel application, Chirper. You've learned to set up a project, create routes, work with the database, and implement basic authentication. As the next steps, consider expanding your application with more features, exploring Laravel's extensive documentation, or diving into advanced topics like API development or testing. Happy coding!