Laravel Eloquent: When to Use `boot()` vs. `booted()` (The Final Word)

#laravel #php #programming

Laravel is a framework that prides itself on elegance and clarity—but when it comes to model booting, many developers get confused between boot(), booted(), and even trait boots. If you’ve ever stared at an Eloquent model thinking, “Wait, when exactly is my event running?”, you’re in the right place.

This is your one-stop, no-fluff guide to understand, master, and use boot(), booted(), and trait boot methods like a pro.

1. What is Model Booting in Laravel?

Every Eloquent model in Laravel has a lifecycle—from creation, update, deletion, and query-building.

Booting is the static process Laravel runs before the model class is fully ready to be used. It gives you crucial hooks to:

Add static events (like creating, updating, deleting)
Apply global scopes
Initialize default attributes

Laravel’s boot process is flexible, but understanding the order is crucial to avoid “my event didn’t fire” moments.

2. Enter `boot()`

What it is:
boot() is a static method on the model itself. Override it when you need to add complex, model-level logic, or anything that requires the older, manual approach.

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;

class Product extends Model
{
    protected static function boot()
    {
        parent::boot(); // 🚨 Always call this

        static::creating(function ($product) {
            $product->uuid = (string) \Str::uuid();
        });
    }
}

Key Points

Runs before booted().
Must call parent::boot() to preserve trait and framework booting.
Ideal for global scopes and complex boot logic.
Runs once per model class (static context).
Historical Note: In early Laravel versions, this was the only way to register static model events.

3. Meet `booted()`

What it is:
booted() is a cleaner, safer alternative introduced in Laravel 7. It's a static method that runs after the model has been fully booted.

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;

class Product extends Model
{
    protected static function booted()
    {
        static::creating(function ($product) {
            $product->uuid = (string) \Str::uuid();
        });
    }
}

Why use booted()?

Automatically chains logic—No need to call parent::booted(), simplifying development.
Cleaner than overriding boot() for simple event registration.
Runs after all trait boot() methods and the main model boot().
Safer when multiple developers add boot logic, as it avoids accidental overwrites.

4. Trait Boot Methods

Laravel doesn’t just call boot()—it also calls trait boot methods automatically.

If a trait defines a method like boot[TraitName], Laravel will automatically call it before the model’s boot().

trait HasUuid
{
    // Note: Method name must be 'boot' + 'TraitName' (camel-cased)
    protected static function bootHasUuid() 
    {
        static::creating(fn($model) => $model->uuid = (string) \Str::uuid());
    }
}

class Product extends Model
{
    use HasUuid;
}

Order of execution matters:

All trait boots (bootHasUuid, bootSoftDeletes, etc.)
Model boot()
Model booted()

5. Visualization: The Boot Sequence

Here’s how Laravel actually runs things. This sequence is absolute:

[Traits boot* methods] -> [Model::boot()] -> [Model::booted()]

The Takeaway:

Did you forget parent::boot()? The sequence may break.
Did you rely on booted() but needed a global scope? Scopes need boot() because they need to be applied earlier in the chain.

6. When to Use Which

Method	Use Case
`boot()`	Global scopes, complex boot logic, anything that needs `parent::boot()`.
`booted()`	Simple events, cleaner alternative to overriding `boot()`. The safer default for events.
Trait `boot`	Shared logic across multiple models (e.g., UUID generation, Soft Deletes).

7. Real-Life Example: Combining All

trait HasUuid
{
    protected static function bootHasUuid() // Trait Boot
    {
        static::creating(fn($model) => $model->uuid = (string) \Str::uuid());
    }
}

class Product extends Model
{
    use HasUuid;

    protected static function boot() // Model boot()
    {
        parent::boot(); // REQUIRED

        // Logic here runs BEFORE booted()
        static::creating(fn($product) => $product->slug = \Str::slug($product->name));
    }

    protected static function booted() // Model booted()
    {
        // Logic here runs LAST
        static::created(fn($product) => logger("Product {$product->id} created!"));
    }
}

Execution order:

HasUuid::bootHasUuid() → sets uuid
Product::boot() → sets slug
Product::booted() → logs creation

✅ All events happen in the right order, and nothing breaks.

8. Common Pitfalls

Forgetting parent::boot() in boot() → Trait boots won’t run, breaking features like Soft Deletes.
Using booted() for global scopes → It might run too late and the scope may not be applied to the initial query.
Multiple developers overriding boot() → Can overwrite each other's logic; booted() avoids this problem.

9. TL;DR – The Million-Dollar Takeaway

Trait boots → Run first.
Model boot() → Run second, required to call parent::boot().
Model booted() → Run last, perfect for event registration.
Use the right tool for the job: boot() for global logic/scopes, booted() for cleaner event hooks.