Introduction
Laravel continues to be our go-to framework for building enterprise web applications. Here are the best practices we follow at QBYT Solutions.
Project Structure
Follow Domain-Driven Design
Organize code by domain rather than technical layers:
- app/Domains/User/
- app/Domains/Product/
- app/Domains/Order/
Use Service Layer
Keep controllers thin by moving business logic to service classes:
- Better testability
- Code reusability
- Clear separation of concerns
Database Best Practices
1. Use Migrations Properly
- Never modify existing migrations
- Use descriptive migration names
- Include rollback logic
- Test migrations in development first
2. Leverage Eloquent Efficiently
- Use eager loading to prevent N+1 queries
- Implement query scopes for reusable queries
- Use database transactions for data integrity
- Consider using DTOs for complex data structures
3. Index Strategically
- Add indexes on foreign keys
- Index frequently queried columns
- Use composite indexes when appropriate
Security Practices
1. Authentication & Authorization
- Use Laravel Sanctum for API authentication
- Implement proper authorization with Gates and Policies
- Enable 2FA for sensitive applications
- Use middleware for route protection
2. Input Validation
- Always validate user input
- Use Form Requests for complex validation
- Sanitize data before storage
- Implement CSRF protection
3. Secure Configuration
- Never commit .env files
- Use environment-specific configurations
- Rotate secrets regularly
- Enable HTTPS in production
Performance Optimization
1. Caching Strategy
- Cache database queries with Redis
- Use route caching in production
- Implement view caching
- Cache API responses when appropriate
2. Queue Jobs
- Move time-consuming tasks to queues
- Use job batching for bulk operations
- Implement proper error handling
- Monitor queue performance
3. Database Optimization
- Use database connection pooling
- Implement read replicas for scaling
- Optimize slow queries
- Use chunk() for large datasets
Testing
1. Test Coverage
- Write feature tests for user workflows
- Unit test business logic
- Test API endpoints thoroughly
- Implement browser tests for critical paths
2. Testing Tools
- PHPUnit for unit and feature tests
- Pest for modern testing syntax
- Laravel Dusk for browser testing
- Faker for test data generation
Code Quality
1. Static Analysis
- Use PHPStan or Larastan
- Run PHP CS Fixer for code style
- Implement pre-commit hooks
- Set up CI/CD pipelines
2. Documentation
- Document API endpoints (OpenAPI/Swagger)
- Write clear code comments
- Maintain architecture decision records
- Keep README updated
Deployment
Best Practices
- Use Laravel Forge or Envoyer
- Implement zero-downtime deployment
- Run migrations in deployment pipeline
- Set up proper monitoring and logging
- Use Docker for consistent environments
Real-World Application
We apply these practices in all our Laravel projects at QBYT Solutions, from small business applications to enterprise-scale systems. This approach ensures maintainable, secure, and performant applications.
Need help with Laravel development or want to modernize your existing application? We're here to help.