Laravel is an open-source PHP framework that can be used in the development of websites, applications, internal systems and really anything that uses a PHP database. Unlike PHP itself (which is a coding language), Laravel is a framework that works on top of PHP. You can think of Laravel as a kind of intermediary between a frontend interface and a PHP server where files and data are stored. Laravel takes care of the routing and searching of records and returns them to the frontend interface for the user to interact with. It’s designed to be efficient and excellent at dealing with a lot of requests and data in a short period of time. Whenever we develop systems using PHP, we utilise Laravel alongside it.

Laravel supports the Model, View, and Controller (MVC) approach. The MVC approach is a way of organising code so that each part has a specific purpose. The benefits of organising code using the MVC approach are enormous. The MVC approach increases overall efficiency, simplify the coding process and makes it easier for other developers to follow along. The Laravel code itself is also straightforward and is less bloated compared to other PHP frameworks. But don’t let that fool you, Laravel is exceptionally powerful. It was designed to be simple for a reason. With less bloat and smaller size, Laravel is extremely stable and can process masses of data nearly instantaneously. It is the perfect PHP framework for complex web applications. Its other advantage is security. Since Laravel acts as an intermediary between the user and the server, it naturally protects against malicious attackers. The third, and perhaps most important, advantage of using Laravel is its level of flexibility. As we’ve already mentioned, the code can be split into distinct categories which can be thought of like building blocks. These building blocks are independent of one another. They can, therefore, be removed, replaced or added to quickly, without affecting the functionality of other parts of the code. This means that it’s straightforward to add new features into apps built with Laravel and also remove features without it adversely affecting the app as a whole. In that sense, Laravel is a modular system.