How to Create Your First Laravel Project - Complete Setup Guide

Laravel is one of the most popular PHP frameworks, loved by developers for its elegant syntax and powerful features. In this comprehensive guide, you'll learn three different methods to create your first Laravel project and set up your development environment properly.

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure you have the following installed on your system:

• PHP 8.2 or higher
• Composer (PHP dependency manager)
• A code editor (VS Code, PHPStorm, etc.)
• Basic command line knowledge

Method 1: Create Laravel Project Using Composer

This is the most traditional and widely-used method. Composer is PHP's dependency manager, and Laravel can be installed directly through it.

Step 1: Check PHP and Composer Installation

First, verify that PHP and Composer are installed:

php -v
composer -V

You should see version information for both. If not, install them first.

Step 2: Create Project with Composer

Navigate to your desired directory and run:

composer create-project laravel/laravel my-first-app

This command will:

• Download Laravel and all dependencies
• Create a new directory called "my-first-app"
• Set up the initial project structure

Step 3: Navigate to Your Project

cd my-first-app

Step 4: Start the Development Server

php artisan serve

Your Laravel application is now running at http://localhost:8000

Method 2: Using Laravel Installer

The Laravel Installer is a global Composer package that provides a faster way to create new Laravel projects.

Step 1: Install Laravel Installer Globally

composer global require laravel/installer

Step 2: Add Composer's Global Bin to Your PATH

For macOS/Linux, add this to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

export PATH="$HOME/.composer/vendor/bin:$PATH"

For Windows, add this to your system PATH:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Composer\vendor\bin

Step 3: Create a New Laravel Project

laravel new my-second-app

The installer will ask you to choose:

• Starter kit (Breeze, Jetstream, or none)
• Testing framework (Pest or PHPUnit)
• Database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, etc.)
• Git repository initialization

Step 4: Navigate and Serve

cd my-second-app
php artisan serve

Method 3: Using Laravel Herd (Recommended for macOS)

Laravel Herd is the fastest way to get started with Laravel development on macOS. It's a native application that includes PHP, Nginx, and all necessary tools.

Step 1: Download and Install Herd

Visit https://herd.laravel.com and download Herd for macOS.

Step 2: Install Herd

Open the downloaded file and drag Herd to your Applications folder. Launch Herd from your Applications.

Step 3: Configure Herd

Herd automatically:

• Installs PHP (multiple versions available)
• Sets up Nginx
• Configures automatic site serving
• Provides a GUI for management

Step 4: Create Project with Herd

Open your terminal and run:

cd ~/Herd
laravel new my-herd-app

Your site is automatically available at http://my-herd-app.test (no need for php artisan serve!)

Herd CLI Commands

Herd comes with useful CLI commands:

# Switch PHP versions
herd php 8.3

# Open a site in browser
herd open my-herd-app

# List all sites
herd list

# Park a directory (auto-serve all projects)
herd park

Environment Configuration

After creating your project with any method, you need to configure the environment file.

Step 1: Copy Environment File

cp .env.example .env

Step 2: Generate Application Key

php artisan key:generate

Step 3: Configure Database

Open the .env file and update database settings:

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=my_database
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=your_password

For SQLite (simpler for beginners):

DB_CONNECTION=sqlite
# DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
# DB_PORT=3306
# DB_DATABASE=laravel
# DB_USERNAME=root
# DB_PASSWORD=

Then create the database file:

touch database/database.sqlite

Step 4: Run Migrations

php artisan migrate

Project Structure Overview

Your Laravel project contains these important directories:

my-first-app/
├── app/                # Application logic
│   ├── Models/        # Database models
│   ├── Http/          # Controllers, Middleware
│   └── Providers/     # Service providers
├── routes/            # Route definitions
│   ├── web.php       # Web routes
│   └── api.php       # API routes
├── resources/         # Views, CSS, JS
│   └── views/        # Blade templates
├── database/          # Migrations, seeders
├── public/            # Public assets
├── config/            # Configuration files
└── .env              # Environment variables

Essential Laravel Commands

Here are some commands you'll use frequently:

# Start development server
php artisan serve

# Create a controller
php artisan make:controller UserController

# Create a model with migration
php artisan make:model Post -m

# Run migrations
php artisan migrate

# Rollback migrations
php artisan migrate:rollback

# Clear cache
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan config:clear
php artisan route:clear

# List all routes
php artisan route:list

# Open tinker (REPL)
php artisan tinker

Installing Additional Tools

Node.js and NPM

For frontend assets, install Node.js:

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run development build
npm run dev

# Run production build
npm run build

# Watch for changes
npm run watch

Laravel Breeze (Authentication)

Add authentication scaffolding:

composer require laravel/breeze --dev
php artisan breeze:install
npm install
npm run dev
php artisan migrate

Comparison: Which Method Should You Use?

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: Port 8000 Already in Use

php artisan serve --port=8080

Issue: Permission Denied on storage/

chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache

Issue: Class "PDO" not found

Enable PDO extension in php.ini:

extension=pdo_mysql
extension=pdo_sqlite

Next Steps

Now that you have Laravel installed, here's what to learn next:

1. Routing - Learn how to create routes in routes/web.php
2. Controllers - Organize your application logic
3. Blade Templates - Create dynamic views
4. Eloquent ORM - Work with databases easily
5. Middleware - Add request filtering
6. Authentication - Secure your application

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've successfully created your first Laravel project. Whether you chose Composer for reliability, Laravel Installer for speed, or Herd for convenience, you're now ready to build amazing web applications.

Remember, the Laravel documentation at laravel.com/docs is your best friend. It's comprehensive, well-written, and always up-to-date.

Happy coding! 🚀