How to Download and install Laravel 10

How to Download and install Laravel 10

Welcome to this comprehensive guide on how to download and install Laravel 10, the latest version of the open-source PHP web framework that has gained immense popularity for its elegant syntax and wide array of features. Laravel is more than just a tool, it's a complete ecosystem for developing web applications that aim for simplicity, functionality, and modernity. The advent of Laravel 10 brings several enhancements and new features that make the development process even smoother. From streamlined APIs to better performance metrics, Laravel 10 is a must-try for anyone who wants to take their PHP development to the next level.

Why Laravel 10 is Necessary

Laravel 10 is not just another version; it's an evolution in how we approach PHP development. With an emphasis on clean code, robust features, and modern best practices, Laravel 10 comes with improvements that help developers create scalable, secure, and efficient applications. Whether you are looking to build a simple website or a complex web application, Laravel 10 provides the tools you need to produce high-quality, maintainable code faster than ever.

Composer and Its Importance

Before you embark on your Laravel 10 journey, it's important to familiarize yourself with Composer. Composer is a dependency manager for PHP that allows you to manage your project's libraries and dependencies, providing a format for dependency management. It is an indispensable tool for modern PHP development, and Laravel is no exception. To install Laravel 10, you will need to have Composer installed on your system.

You can download and install the composer

Server Requirements

Before downloading Laravel 10, ensure that your web server meets the following system requirements:

• PHP >= 8.1
• Ctype PHP Extension
• cURL PHP Extension
• DOM PHP Extension
• Fileinfo PHP Extension
• Filter PHP Extension
• Hash PHP Extension
• Mbstring PHP Extension
• OpenSSL PHP Extension
• PCRE PHP Extension
• PDO PHP Extension
• Session PHP Extension
• Tokenizer PHP Extension
• XML PHP Extension

Meeting these requirements ensures that you will be able to run Laravel 10 efficiently.

Installation Commands

After your server meets the above requirements, you can proceed with the installation. You have two options to install Laravel 10:

Create a new project using Composer:

composer create-project laravel/laravel yourApplication-app

Or, you can install the Laravel installer globally and create a new project:

composer global require laravel/installer

laravel new yourApplication-app

Running Laravel 10 with PHP Artisan Serve

After you've successfully installed Laravel 10, the next step is to launch your application. Laravel comes with a built-in command-line tool called Artisan, which provides various commands to assist you throughout your Laravel journey. One of the most basic but essential commands is php artisan serve.

What is php artisan serve?

The php artisan serve command allows you to run your Laravel application on a development server at your local machine. It quickly bootstraps a web server, enabling you to preview the application in your web browser without having to configure a more complex web server like Apache or Nginx for local development. When you run this command, Laravel starts a development server at http://127.0.0.1:8000 by default.

Here is how to execute the command:

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.
2. Navigate to your Laravel project directory using the cd command.
3. Type php artisan serve and hit Enter.

You should see an output similar to:

The Laravel development server has started up at http://127.0.0.1:8000

Now, open your web browser and navigate to the displayed URL. You should be greeted with the Laravel welcome page, confirming that your Laravel 10 application is up and running.

Using php artisan serve is convenient for development and testing purposes. However, it's important to note that this built-in server is not suitable for production use. For production environments, you should deploy your Laravel application on a fully-configured web server.

Conclusion

The release of Laravel 10 is a significant milestone in the journey of PHP development. With its improved functionalities, new features, and focus on best practices, it is a framework that invites both newcomers and experienced developers to craft exceptional web applications. Ensuring your server meets the specified requirements and using Composer for dependency management are crucial steps in setting up your Laravel 10 environment. Whether you opt for creating a new project through Composer or using the global Laravel installer, the process is straightforward and quick. Take the plunge into Laravel 10 and discover how it can elevate your web development experience.