Rohit Dhiman

Posted on Sep 3

File Upload in Laravel – Step by Step Guide for Beginners

#php #laravel #webdev #programming

File upload is one of the most common features in modern web applications — whether it’s profile pictures, resumes, PDFs, or images. Luckily, Laravel makes file handling incredibly simple and secure with built-in methods.

In this article, we’ll walk through a step-by-step guide to uploading files in Laravel, complete with validation, storage, and best practices.

🔹 Why File Uploads Matter

Here are some real-world scenarios where file uploads are essential:

👤 Profile Pictures – Social media & forums
📑 Documents – Resumes, reports, PDFs
🎬 Media Uploads – Images, videos, audio files
⚙️ Admin Tools – Uploading configuration files

File uploads are everywhere — and mastering them is a must for every Laravel beginner.

🔹 Step 1: Create a Route

We need two routes: one for displaying the upload form, and another for handling the upload.

use App\Http\Controllers\FileUploadController;

Route::get('/upload', [FileUploadController::class, 'index']);
Route::post('/upload', [FileUploadController::class, 'store'])->name('file.upload');

🔹 Step 2: Build the Controller

Laravel makes file handling painless with $request->file().

<?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class FileUploadController extends Controller
{
    public function index()
    {
        return view('upload');
    }

    public function store(Request $request)
    {
        // Validate file
        $request->validate([
            'file' => 'required|mimes:jpg,png,pdf|max:2048',
        ]);

        // Store file inside storage/app/public/uploads
        $path = $request->file('file')->store('uploads', 'public');

        // Return success message
        return back()
            ->with('success', 'File uploaded successfully!')
            ->with('file', $path);
    }
}

🔹 Step 3: Create the Blade View

Now let’s create a simple form for file uploads.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Laravel File Upload</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h2>Upload a File</h2>

    @if(session('success'))
        <p style="color: green;">{{ session('success') }}</p>
        <p>File Path: {{ session('file') }}</p>
    @endif

    <form action="{{ route('file.upload') }}" method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data">
        @csrf
        <input type="file" name="file">
        <button type="submit">Upload</button>
    </form>

    @error('file')
        <p style="color: red;">{{ $message }}</p>
    @enderror
</body>
</html>

⚡ Notice the important attribute:

enctype="multipart/form-data"

This is required for file uploads.

🔹 Step 4: Storage Setup

By default, Laravel stores files in storage/app. If you want to access them via the browser, run:

php artisan storage:link

This creates a public/storage link, making your uploaded files accessible.

🔹 Best Practices for File Uploads

✅ Validate file types – prevent harmful uploads
✅ Limit file size – avoid server overload
✅ Use storage disks (public, s3, etc.)
✅ Keep sensitive files private
✅ Handle unique file names – Laravel’s store() does this automatically

💡 Key Takeaway

Uploading files in Laravel is beginner-friendly yet powerful. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can extend this to:

📂 Multiple file uploads
☁️ Cloud storage (AWS S3, DigitalOcean Spaces)
🖼️ Image resizing & optimization

🚀 Next Steps

👉 Try extending this tutorial to multiple file uploads
👉 Experiment with cloud storage instead of local
👉 Secure sensitive files by storing them outside public

🙌 Wrapping Up

File uploads are a core skill in Laravel development. With just a few lines of code, you can handle files securely and efficiently.

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