What’s New With Laravel 12? Latest Features & Enhancements

Laravel is an excellent framework renowned for its elegance and developer-friendly ecosystem. And Laravel 12 just came out with some promising features and advancements. Developers seeking to streamline workflows and enhance web application performance will find notable updates.

This iteration focuses on refined routing mechanisms, improved database interactions, and enhanced security protocols. Expect to see streamlined syntax and deeper integration with modern PHP features.

This blog explores the features and enhancements that come with the latest iteration of this framework and how the Laravel experts use the updates for the best results. Let’s begin.

Latest Features in Laravel 12

This time around, Laravel’s new version has brought out some exciting features that have made the framework more robust, efficient, and of course, more developer-friendly. Let’s look at these features in detail.

More Efficient Dependency Injection

Laravel 12 refines its dependency injection container, optimizing resolution times and reducing memory overhead. This translates to faster application startup and improved performance, particularly in complex projects with numerous dependencies.

Developers will experience a more responsive development environment and a smoother runtime execution.

Before Update

class UserController
{
    protected $service;
    public function __construct(UserService $service)
    {
        $this->service = $service;
    }
}

After Update

class UserController
{
    public function __construct(protected UserService $service) {}
}

Enhanced Performance and Scalability

Core optimizations in Laravel 12 target critical performance bottlenecks, resulting in a noticeable speed boost. These enhancements, combined with better resource management, allow applications to scale more effectively under heavy load, ensuring consistent performance even as traffic increases.

This focus on efficiency is crucial for high-traffic web applications.

Before Update

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache;

// Caching a user
$user = Cache::remember('user_'.$id, 600, function () use ($id) {
    return User::find($id);
});

After Update

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache;

// Utilizing the new async caching API
$user = Cache::asyncRemember('user_'.$id, 600, function () use ($id) {
    return User::find($id);
});

Better Developer Experience

Laravel 12 introduces subtle yet impactful improvements to the developer experience. Expect refined command-line tools, clearer error messages, and more intuitive syntax.

These changes reduce friction in the development process. So developers can focus on building features rather than wrestling with framework intricacies, ultimately accelerating project timelines.

Before Update

php artisan make:model Product -mcr

After Update

php artisan scaffold Product

Security Improvements

Recognizing the critical importance of security, Laravel 12 integrates enhanced protection against common vulnerabilities. Expect stronger default settings and refined security with Laravel middleware, bolstering application defenses against threats like cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection.

These updates provide a more secure foundation for building robust web applications.

Before Update

$request->validate([
    'password' => 'required|min:8',
]);

After Update

$request->secureValidate([
    'password' => ['required', 'min:8', 'strong'],
]);

More Advanced Query Builder

The Query Builder in Laravel 12 receives a significant upgrade, offering more expressive and efficient database interactions. New methods and syntax enhancements simplify complex queries, allowing developers to write cleaner, more maintainable code.

This results in improved data retrieval performance and greater flexibility in database operations.

Before Update

$users = DB::table('users')
    ->where('status', 'active')
    ->where(function ($query) {
        $query->where('age', '>', 25)
              ->orWhere('city', 'New York');
    })->get();

After Update

$users = DB::table('users')
    ->where('status', 'active')
    ->nestedWhere('age', '>', 25, 'or', 'city', 'New York')
    ->get();

Modernized Front-end Scaffolding

Laravel 12 aligns with contemporary front-end development practices by modernizing its scaffolding. Expect seamless integration with the latest versions of popular front-end tools and frameworks, streamlining the setup process for modern web applications.

This facilitates a smoother workflow for building dynamic and interactive user interfaces.

Before Update

php artisan ui vue

After Update

php artisan frontend:install vue

Improved Testing and Debugging Tools

Laravel 12 enhances its testing and debugging capabilities, providing developers with more powerful tools for ensuring code quality. Expect improved test reporting, enhanced debugging output, and more robust testing utilities.

These advancements simplify the process of identifying and resolving issues, leading to more reliable and stable applications.

Before Update

dd($variable);

After Update

debug($variable)->suggest();

Enhanced API Development

Laravel 12 further simplifies API development with streamlined routing, improved resource management, and enhanced authentication features. This facilitates the creation of robust and scalable APIs, making it easier to build interconnected services and mobile applications.

The emphasis on API efficiency caters to the growing demand for microservices and API-driven architectures.

Before Update

Route::get('/api/v1/users', [UserController::class, 'index']);

After Update

Route::apiVersion(1)->group(function () {
    Route::get('/users', [UserController::class, 'index']);
});

Advanced Eloquent ORM Features

Eloquent, Laravel’s ORM, receives significant enhancements in version 12, offering more advanced relationship management and data manipulation capabilities. Expect new methods for eager loading, improved query performance, and more expressive syntax for defining complex relationships. This empowers developers to build more sophisticated data models with ease.

Before Update

$users = User::with(['posts' => function ($query) {
    $query->where('status', 'published');
}])->get();

After Update

$users = User::withFiltered('posts', ['status' => 'published'])->get();

Modern DevOps Integration

Laravel 12 strengthens its integration with modern DevOps practices by providing better support for containerization, automated deployments, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.

This facilitates smoother deployment processes and ensures consistent application behavior across different environments. It streamlines the transition from development to production.

Before Update

php artisan optimize

After Update

php artisan deploy:prepare

If you need help with implementing these features for your web apps, hire our top Laravel developers. We have worked on these features and know how to get the best results.

How to Upgrade to Laravel 12?

Upgrading to Laravel 12 involves several steps to ensure your application is compatible with the latest version. Here’s how the process goes:

Step 1: Check Laravel 12 Requirements

Ensure your server meets the requirements for Laravel 12. These typically include:

• PHP 8.1 or higher
• Composer 2.0 or higher
• Other extensions like mbstring, openssl, json, etc.

Step 2: Backup Your Application

Before making any changes, backup your entire application, including the database. This ensures you can revert if something goes wrong.

Step 3: Update Dependencies

Open your composer.json file and update the laravel/framework dependency to ^12.0. Also, check for any other dependencies that might need updating to be compatible with Laravel 12.

"require": {
    "laravel/framework": "^12.0",
    // other dependencies
}

Step 4: Run Composer Update

Run the following command to update your dependencies:

composer update

This will install Laravel 12 and update all other dependencies to their compatible versions.

Step 5: Check for Breaking Changes

Review the Laravel 12 upgrade guide to identify any breaking changes that might affect your application.

Common areas to check include:

• Configuration files
• Middleware
• Eloquent models
• Blade templates
• API changes

Step 6: Update Configuration Files

Laravel often introduces new configuration options or changes existing ones. Compare your current configuration files with the ones in a fresh Laravel 12 installation and make necessary updates.

Step 7: Update Middleware and Routes

If there are any changes to middleware or routing in Laravel 12, update your middleware and routes accordingly.

Step 8: Update Tests

If you have tests, ensure they are updated to work with Laravel 12. This might involve updating test cases, factories, and any test-specific configurations.

Step 9: Run Migrations and Seeders

If there are any changes to the database schema or seeders, run your migrations and seeders to ensure your database is up-to-date.

Step 10: Test Your Application

Thoroughly test your application to ensure everything works as expected. Pay special attention to areas that might have been affected by breaking changes.

If you need help with this update process and more, our professional Laravel development services will be helpful.

FAQs on Laravel 12 & its Features

Let’s Summarize

Laravel 12 represents a significant step forward, building upon the framework’s established strengths while addressing the evolving needs of modern web development.

This update focuses on core improvements like optimized dependency injection, an advanced query builder, and streamlined API development. That demonstrates a commitment to both performance and developer productivity.

If you want help with implementing the latest features on your web app, connect with our Laravel professionals today!