Installing Laravel: Complete Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners (2025)

Laravel has become one of the most widely used PHP frameworks for modern web development. Developers prefer it because of its elegant syntax, MVC architecture, and rich set of features that simplify common tasks like authentication, routing, and database management. However, before you can enjoy its powerful capabilities, you need to** install Laravel correctly on your system.**

This step-by-step guide to installing Laravel will walk you through every detail: system requirements, PHP setup, Composer installation, server configuration, and creating your first Laravel project. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, this article ensures you don’t miss a step.

Why Choose Laravel?

Before diving into installation, it’s important to understand why Laravel is such a popular framework:

• MVC Architecture: Keeps business logic, presentation, and database layers separate.- Eloquent ORM: Simplifies database interactions with expressive syntax.- Blade Template Engine: Makes front-end rendering easier.- Built-in Security: Includes CSRF protection, password hashing, and more.- Artisan CLI: A command-line tool to speed up development tasks.- Community & Ecosystem: Large, active community with packages, tutorials, and support.With these advantages, Laravel is the go-to choice for building scalable, modern PHP applications.

Step 1: Check System RequirementsThe first step in installing Laravel is ensuring your system meets the required environment. Laravel 10 (latest as of 2025) requires:

• PHP: 8.1 or higher- Composer: Dependency manager for PHP- Database: MySQL 5.7+, PostgreSQL 10+, SQLite, or SQL Server- Web Server: Apache or Nginx- PHP Extensions:- OpenSSL- PDO- Mbstring- Tokenizer- XML- Ctype- JSON- BCMath Check PHP version with:

php -v
If you don’t have PHP installed, get it from the official PHP downloads page or via package managers like **apt**** (Linux) or `brew*`* **(macOS).

Step 2: Install ComposerComposer is essential for managing Laravel’s dependencies. Without it, you cannot install Laravel or its packages.

Windows- Download the installer from getcomposer.org.- During installation, select the PHP executable path.- Verify installation:composer -V

macOS / LinuxRun these commands in your terminal:

curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer
Check version:

composer -V
If it shows a version number, Composer is installed correctly.

**

Step 3: Set Up Web Server and DatabaseLaravel requires a web server (Apache, Nginx) and a database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc.). There are multiple ways to configure this:

Option 1: XAMPP (Windows, macOS, Linux)- Comes pre-packaged with Apache, MySQL, and PHP.- Start Apache** and MySQL from the XAMPP Control Panel.- Access http://localhost/phpmyadmin to manage databases.### Option 2: Laragon (Windows)- Lightweight and Laravel-friendly.- Offers one-click installation for PHP, MySQL, and Apache/Nginx.### Option 3: Laravel Valet (macOS/Linux)- Minimalistic environment that automatically serves applications at http://project.test.## Step 4: Installing LaravelThere are two main methods for installing Laravel:

Method 1: Composer Create-Projectcomposer create-project laravel/laravel project-name

This installs Laravel in a folder named project-name.

Method 2: Laravel InstallerInstall globally:

composer global require laravel/installer
Then create a new project:

laravel new project-name
Both methods will generate a fresh Laravel project.

Step 5: Configure Laravel EnvironmentLaravel uses a .env file for environment configuration. After installation, navigate to your project folder:

cd project-name
Update .env file:

APP_NAME=MyLaravelApp
APP_ENV=local
APP_KEY=base64:generatedkey
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=http://localhost

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=laravel_db
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=
Make sure the database exists. Create it in phpMyAdmin or with MySQL CLI:

CREATE DATABASE laravel_db;

Step 6: Run Laravel Development ServerLaravel has a built-in development server. Start it with:

php artisan serve
Output:

Starting Laravel development server: http://127.0.0.1:8000
Visit the URL, and you’ll see Laravel’s welcome page. 🎉

**

Step 7: Database MigrationsInstead of manually creating tables, Laravel uses migrations**.

Create migration:

php artisan make:migration create_posts_table
Run migrations:

php artisan migrate
This will create default tables (users, password_resets, failed_jobs) along with your custom migration.

Step 8: Handling Common Installation Issues### Problem 1: Composer Memory Limit Errorphp -d memory_limit=-1 composer create-project laravel/laravel project-name

Problem 2: File Permission Issues (Linux/Mac)sudo chown -R $USER:www-data storage bootstrap/cache

Problem 3: Missing ExtensionsEnable missing PHP extensions (like openssl, pdo_mysql) in php.ini.

**

Step 9: Using Laravel Sail (Docker Alternative)For developers who prefer Docker, Laravel Sail** is a lightweight option.

Install via Sail:

curl -s https://laravel.build/project-name | bash
cd project-name
./vendor/bin/sail up
This sets up Laravel with Docker containers for MySQL, Redis, and other services.

Step 10: Post-Installation EssentialsAfter installing Laravel, here are crucial steps to follow:

Generate App Key

php artisan key:generate

Install Node.js & NPMLaravel uses Vite for front-end assets. Install:

npm install
npm run dev

Learn Artisan CLICheck available commands:

php artisan list

Laravel Installation Best Practices- Always use Composer create-project instead of cloning GitHub repos.- Keep .env file secure and never commit it to Git.- Regularly update dependencies with:

composer update

• Use version control (Git) for your projects.- For production, configure Apache/Nginx Virtual Hosts instead of php artisan serve.## Advanced Installation Options### Installing Specific Laravel Versioncomposer create-project laravel/laravel="9.*" project-name ### Installing Laravel with JetstreamFor authentication scaffolding:

composer require laravel/jetstream
php artisan jetstream:install livewire
npm install && npm run dev
php artisan migrate

Installing Laravel with Breeze (Lightweight Auth)composer require laravel/breeze --dev

php artisan breeze:install
npm install && npm run dev
php artisan migrate

ConclusionBy now, you should have a complete understanding of how to install Laravel step by step. From setting up PHP and Composer to configuring your database and running the development server, you’re fully prepared to begin your Laravel journey.Laravel’s flexibility, powerful tools, and ease of setup make it one of the best frameworks for building web applications in 2025. Whether you’re developing a personal project or a large enterprise system, Laravel provides the foundation to scale and succeed.