Laravel Development Checklist
Created by Cheli
A practical checklist for setting up, building, testing, and deploying a Laravel application.
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Checklist Items (22)
Setup Environment
Ensure your local machine has the required software.
Set up a local development server (Valet, Laravel Sail, or XAMPP)
Choose a server that matches your workflow; Valet for macOS, Sail for Docker, XAMPP for Windows.
Create project via Composer
Run composer create-project laravel/laravel project-name
Copy .env.example to .env and set app key
Then run php artisan key:generate
Test database connection
Run php artisan migrate to ensure DB works
Configuration
Adjust environment and services config.
Configure database connection in .env
Set DB_HOST, DB_PORT, DB_DATABASE, DB_USERNAME, DB_PASSWORD
Set mail driver (e.g., SMTP, Mailtrap)
Configure MAIL_HOST, MAIL_PORT, MAIL_USERNAME, MAIL_PASSWORD, MAIL_ENCRYPTION
Choose cache and queue drivers
For local dev use file/database; for production consider Redis or Amazon SQS
Database Design
Plan tables, relationships, and seed data.
Create migration files for each table
Use php artisan make:migration create_table_name
Define foreign keys and relationships in migrations
Use $table->foreignId()->constrained()->onDelete('cascade')
Seed initial data with factories and seeders
Run php artisan db:seed after migrations
Routing & Controllers
Define routes and controller logic.
Define web routes in routes/web.php
Use Route::get, Route::post, Route::resource for CRUD
Define API routes in routes/api.php
Apply middleware 'api' and version if needed
Generate controllers with artisan make:controller
Use --resource for RESTful controllers
Views & Blade
Build UI with Blade templating.
Create Blade templates in resources/views
Extend layouts and yield sections
Use components and slots for reusable UI
php artisan make:component Alert
Handle forms with old() and CSRF protection
Add @csrf and value="{{ old('field') }}"
Testing
Write and run tests to ensure quality.
Write unit tests for models
Use RefreshDatabase trait and factory states
Write feature tests for HTTP routes
Test JSON responses and redirects