Top 5 Mistakes Laravel Developers Make and How to Rectify Them in 2023

Top 5 Mistakes Laravel Developers Make and How to Rectify Them in 2023

Coding is an art that takes time and patience to master. Developers face numerous challenges and obstacles when writing code, including various syntax errors, bugs, and logical mistakes. Writing code is no silver bullet, and mistakes are bound to happen. What’s important is to learn from them and improve with each project. 

While Laravel is a powerful framework that enables developers to build robust and scalable web applications, it’s still common for developers to make mistakes. 

In this article, we’ll look at the top 5 mistakes that Laravel developers make and how to rectify them in 2023.

Mistake #1: Not removing/transferring development configurations & variables

One of the biggest mistakes that Laravel developers make is failing to remove or transfer development configurations and variables before deploying the application to a live server. When developing an application, developers often use different environments, including a development environment and a production environment. These environments have different configurations and variables, which can cause errors when deployed to a live server.

Solution: The solution to this problem is simple. Developers should ensure that they remove all development configurations and variables before deploying the application to a live server. Alternatively, developers can use a .env file to store environment variables that are different between environments. By doing so, they can ensure that the application works as intended on the live server.

Mistake #2: Not Creating a Backup of Code

Another common mistake developers make is not creating a backup of their code. This can be disastrous if the code is lost, or something goes wrong with the application. Developers must create a backup of their code to avoid the risk of losing everything.

Solution:Creating a backup of code is a simple process, and Laravel makes it even easier by providing built-in features to create backups. Developers can use the Artisan command line tool to create backups of their code, which can be used to restore the application to a previous state if something goes wrong. There are also many third-party tools available to automate the backup process, making it even easier for developers to protect their code.

Mistake #3. Not using Migration features

Laravel provides developers with the Migration feature that allows them to make changes to the database schema and keep track of those changes. Yet, many developers do not use this feature, which can lead to inconsistent and error-prone databases.

The Migration feature allows developers to write database changes in code and apply them to the database as required. This approach makes it easier to manage database changes, ensures consistency across the application, and reduces the risk of errors. By using the Migration feature, developers can also ensure that the database schema is in sync with the code and that the application works as intended.

Mistake #4: Using Only Single Route File to Handle All Requests

Many Laravel developers use one route file to handle all requests, which can lead to bloated and difficult-to-maintain code. As an application grows, the route file can become complex, making it difficult to add new features or modify existing ones.

Solution:Avoid the temptation to use the default route file for all routing requests. Instead, consider creating multiple route files, each with its own route prefix to separate routing logic and make it easier to maintain. For instance, you can have separate route files for admin and user routes. The process of creating multiple route files is straightforward, requiring just two steps:

  • First, create a new PHP file in the routes folder and add the routes. 
  • Next, register the route by informing the framework of the new route file, as there may not be a CLI command for this yet. Failure to register the new route file may result in the framework not recognizing it.

Mistake #5: Using Laravel Facade Outside of the Controllers and Middleware

The Laravel Facade is a powerful feature that allows developers to access objects through a static interface. However, many developers use the Facade outside of controllers and middleware, which can lead to code that is difficult to maintain and test.

Solution:The solution to this problem is to use the Facade only within controllers and middleware. By doing so, developers can ensure that the code is more manageable, testable, and maintainable. Moreover, it is recommended to use Dependency Injection in order to have better control over the code, make it more scalable, easier to write code tests and understand it. It is important to note that Laravel Facades are specific to the Laravel framework and should not be confused with the facade design pattern, nor should they be considered as static method usage.

Conclusion

Laravel framework was crafted for developers to help build scalable and high performant websites as quickly as possible. However, with the focus on quickly adding new features, it can be easy to overlook certain details, make certain mistakes, or lose sight of the bigger picture. In the above article, we have examined some common mistakes frequently made by laravel developers and suggests methods for avoiding them. This list can be beneficial even for seasoned laravel developers because even minuscule errors like not creating code backup can extend the development process to certain hours. And that’s not something, you would want to happen to your project. Would you?

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