Laravel is one of the most popular PHP frameworks, and for good reason—it's elegant, expressive, and comes with many built-in security features. But just because Laravel provides the tools doesn’t mean you’re automatically safe.
Whether you're building an MVP or maintaining a large-scale application, security must be a priority.
Here are 15 Laravel security best practices every developer should follow in 2025:
🔐 1. Keep Laravel and Dependencies Updated
Always keep Laravel, its dependencies, and PHP up to date.
Laravel releases often include security patches and improvements.
.
🔒 2. Prevent SQL Injection
Laravel's Eloquent ORM and query builder automatically use prepared statements.
✅ Safe:
$users = DB::table('users')->where('email', $email)->get();
❌ Avoid:
DB::select("SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = '$email'")
🧼 3. Avoid Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Escape all output using Blade syntax:
{{ $user->name }} // Escapes HTML output
.
🛡️ 4. CSRF Protection
Laravel includes CSRF protection middleware by default. Just don’t forget to include @csrf in your forms.
<form method="POST" action="/submit">
@csrf
<!-- form inputs -->
</form>
👥 5. Use Built-In Auth & Authorization
Leverage Laravel Breeze, Fortify, or Jetstream. Use Gates and Policies to control access.
$this->authorize('update', $post);
🗝️ 6. Store Passwords Securely
Never store plain text passwords. Laravel uses Bcrypt or Argon2 by default.
Hash::make('supersecret');
🔑 7. Secure Your .env and Configs
Never commit .env files.
Set APP_DEBUG=false in production.
Use environment variables for credentials.
🔐 8. Force HTTPS
Force SSL in production.
// AppServiceProvider.php
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\URL;
public function boot()
{
if (app()->environment('production')) {
URL::forceScheme('https');
}
}
🧾 9. Validate and Sanitize File Uploads
Validate file size and type.
Avoid storing files in /public if you don’t need public access.
Sanitize filenames.
$request->validate([
'avatar' => 'required|file|mimes:jpg,jpeg,png|max:2048',
]);
🍪 10. Secure Cookies & Sessions
In config/session.php, set secure defaults:
'secure' => env('SESSION_SECURE_COOKIE', true),
'http_only' => true,
'same_site' => 'lax',
📈 11. Rate Limiting
Prevent brute force attacks using Laravel's rate limiter.
Route::middleware(['throttle:60,1'])->group(function () {
// Protected routes
});
🚫 12. Avoid Mass Assignment Vulnerabilities
Use $fillable or $guarded in your Eloquent models.
protected $fillable = ['name', 'email'];
📜 13. Monitor and Log Suspicious Activity
Use Laravel logging + services like Sentry, Bugsnag, or LogRocket
Log::warning('Suspicious login attempt', ['email' => $request->email]);
📦 14. Vet Third-Party Packages
Install only packages you trust. Check for:
Active maintainers
Regular updates
Community adoption
🔍 15. Run Regular Security Audits
Use tools like
🔍 Larastan
🔐 Laravel Security Checker
🧪 PHPStan
✅ Conclusion
Security isn’t a one-time task. It's a habit.
With Laravel, you already have a strong foundation—just make sure you're using it right.
Top comments (1)
Nice post