Laravel Introduction: The Modern PHP Framework

Laravel is a modern PHP framework designed to make web development easier, faster, and more enjoyable. Before Laravel, developers had to write a lot of repetitive code for routing, security, database access, and validation. Laravel solves this by providing a clean structure and powerful built-in tools. ## What is Laravel? Laravel is an MVC (Model-View-Controller) framework. This means: - **Model** handles data and database logic. - **View** handles HTML and UI. - **Controller** connects requests to business logic. This separation keeps your code organized and easy to maintain. ## Why developers choose Laravel Laravel is loved because it offers: - Clean and readable syntax - Strong security (CSRF, hashing, validation) - Built-in authentication - Eloquent ORM for databases - Huge ecosystem and community - Excellent documentation Laravel is used for: - SaaS platforms - REST APIs - Admin dashboards - E-commerce backends - Enterprise systems ## How Laravel fits in a web app ```mermaid flowchart LR A[Browser] --> B[Laravel Application] B --> C[Eloquent ORM] C --> D[(Database)] B --> E[Cache / Queue] B --> F[Mail / APIs] ``` Laravel acts as the brain that handles requests, talks to the database, and returns responses. ## What you will learn in this series You will learn how to: - Install and configure Laravel - Work with databases - Build CRUD applications - Secure routes and users - Create APIs - Optimize performance - Deploy Laravel apps In the next tutorial, we will install Laravel and explore its folder structure so you feel confident navigating a real project.