Top 75+ Laravel Interview Questions and Answers

Introduction

In 2011, Taylor Otwell started working on Laravel which is a free web framework that uses PHP. It was so good that it instantly became one of the most popular PHP frameworks because of its features, elegance and simplicity. 

Careers in PHP are on the rise in 2024 but people who want to become a Laravel developer have to go through tough interviews to showcase their skills for a new job. We have put together a list of over 75 Laravel interview questions with detailed answers to help you do well in your Laravel interview.

What is Laravel?

Web developers use Laravel, a free PHP framework to build websites as well as applications. 

It is a great framework that provides developers with all the required tools and functionalities for creating websites using PHP. 

But this does not mean Laravel is the only framework available for PHP developers, some of these other frameworks include CodeIgniter, Yii, and Symfony while including other frameworks like Rails, .NET, and Sail.js for other programming languages like Ruby, C#, and JavaScript.

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Laravel Interview Questions and Answers for Beginners

If you are a beginner, then these Laravel interview questions and answers will give you a basic understanding of the kind of questions that will be asked in your Laravel interview.

Q1: What is the latest version of Laravel?

A: This is the most important Laravel interviews question, so make sure you are up to date with the basic information regarding Laravel. The latest version of Laravel came out on February 8th, 2022; Laravel 8.

Q2: What databases can Laravel use?

A: You can set up your database connections in the app/config/database.php file. This file contains examples for all the supported database systems.

Q3: How do you find out which version of Laravel is installed in a project?

A: You can check the Laravel version by using the command php artisan --version or php artisan -v.

Q4: What are the aggregate methods in the query builder?

A: The aggregate methods in the query builder are:

• max()
• min()
• sum()
• avg()
• count()

Q5: What is Laravel Nova?

A: When answering these Laravel interview questions, make sure you give a precise answer. For instance, you can answer it like this: Laravel Nova is an admin panel for managing database records built on the Laravel framework. It is easy to install and use, and it allows you to manage your database records using Eloquent.

Q6: What are seeders in Laravel?

A: Adding data to your database is essential during development time and can be done quickly with Laravel seeders. In Laravel, the DatabaseSeeder class is provided as a default for enabling different seeder classes to be invoked. In the directory database/seeders, there are several seed classes each having a run method which gets called during execution of the db:seed Artisan command. The query builder or Eloquent model factories can help insert data.

Q7: What is the Laravel directory structure like?

A: Laravel's directory structure is well-organized and some of these important directories include:

• app: Contains the core application code.
• resources: Contains views, assets, and language files.
• public: Serves as the document root.
• routes: Contains route definitions.

Q8: What is ORM in Laravel?

A: ORM stands for Object-Relational Mapping. It allows the conversion of data from a programming language to a database and vice versa. In Laravel, ORM enables you to interact with database tables as if they were just normal objects in your code making database interaction much simpler.

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Q9: What is seeding?

A: Seeding is adding test data to the database to test the application. Developers can use database seeders to add dummy data to database tables. This helps find bugs and improve performance.

Q10: What are the features of Laravel?

A: If you get confused when answering Laravel interview questions like these, then it is best to list all the features to be on the safer side. 

Laravel offers many useful features like:

• Eloquent ORM (a way to interact with the database)
• Template Engine
• Artisan (a command-line tool)
• Migration system for databases
• Libraries and modular structure
• MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture
• Unit Testing
• Security
• Scalability for websites
• Namespaces and interfaces to organize resources
• A clean API

Q11: What are Models?

A: In Laravel, which follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern:

• Models interact with the database and handle data.
• Views render the web pages.
• Controllers handle user requests and use models to get data.
• Laravel also has a command-line tool called Artisan to help build your application.

Q12: How to enable query log in Laravel?

A: To enable query logging in Laravel:

• First, add this line: DB::connection()->enableQueryLog();
• After your query, add: $querieslog = DB::getQueryLog();
• Then, add: dd($querieslog); to display the log.

Q13: What is a Service container?

A: A service container in Laravel is a tool to manage dependencies and perform dependency injection. It keeps track of all classes in your application and helps bind interfaces to concrete classes.

Q14: Describe localization in Laravel.

A: Localization in Laravel means serving content based on the client's language preference.

Q15: What is composer.lock in Laravel?

A: After running composer install in your project, a composer.lock file is created. This file records all the installed dependencies and their versions, as listed in composer.json.

Q16: What are the advantages of Queue?

A: Queues in Laravel help handle time-consuming tasks by offloading work from your web server. This way, users don’t have to wait long for a response. Queues also allow multiple servers to run different jobs without interfering with each other.

Q17: What is soft delete in Laravel?

A: Soft delete in Laravel means marking data as deleted without actually removing it. This allows you to restore the data if needed.

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Q18: What is a REPL?

A: Such Laravel interview questions and answers can be handled like this; REPL is an acronym that stands for Read-Eval-Print-Loop in programming terms. This is just an interactive tool that allows one to write some lines of code, run them, get results and do it all over again without having to rerun the whole program afresh. Most of the languages you'll interact with on a regular basis such as Ruby and Python have this type of tool which most people would be familiar with if they have ever worked with such systems at all. This feature comes in handy when you need to test only small parts or all the new codes that you have just written so as not to waste time.

Q19: Which Artisan command gives a list of available commands?

A: The command php artisan list shows you all the commands you can use with Artisan.

Q20: What are migrations in Laravel?

A: When someone gets hold of your application, all they have to do is to run php artisan migrate. These migrations do whatever is necessary to prepare the database for use by changing the structure of your database. The timestamps give them the right order and names for these files. They show Laravel how to create, alter, or drop tables in its respective file.

Laravel Interview Questions for 3 Years Experience

These Laravel interview questions for 3 years experience will help you enhance your skills.

Q21: What is the templating engine used in Laravel?

A: Blade helps you make templates using easy-to-understand syntax, supporting things like if-else statements, loops etc. In order to create a Blade template, save your view file with a .blade.php extension in the resources/views directory. The primary advantage of using this engine in Laravel is that you can create a master template to which other templates can extend.

Q22: What is the use of the DB facade?

A: The DB facade in Laravel is used to run SQL queries, such as create, select, update, insert, and delete.

Q23: How do you create middleware in Laravel?

A: To create middleware in Laravel, you can use the make:middleware Artisan command. For example, running php artisan make:middleware CheckAdminRole will create a middleware class called CheckAdminRole. This middleware can check if a user is an admin and can be used to control access to certain routes or controllers.

Q24: What are the various forms of testing available in Laravel?

A: Make sure to tell the use cases of these testings. Laravel provides several types of testing:

• Unit testing: Tests small parts of your code.
• Feature testing: Tests larger parts of your application by simulating user actions and checking the results.
• Browser testing: Uses automated tools to test how your application works in a web browser.

These testing methods help ensure your application is working correctly and is of high quality.

Q25: What is the purpose of the .env file in Laravel?

A: The .env file in Laravel helps developers switch between different settings for different environments (like local, staging, and production) without changing the code. This makes it easier to manage the app's configuration.

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Q26: Explain the concept of eager loading in Laravel.

A: Eager loading in Laravel loads related data for a model in one database query instead of many. This makes the app faster by reducing the number of database queries.

Q27: How do you run migrations in Laravel?

A: To run migrations in Laravel, you use the migrate Artisan command. Just run php artisan migrate to update your database with any new changes.

Q28: What is reverse routing in Laravel?

A: Reverse routing creates URLs based on route names. This makes URLs easier to read and understand. You can use route parameters or route names to create these URLs.

Example:

Route::get('list', 'BlogController@list');
{{ HTML::link_to_action('BlogController@list') }}

Q29: What is Ajax in Laravel?

A: Ajax stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. It's a way to update parts of a web page without reloading the whole page. In Laravel, you can use response() and json() functions to handle Ajax requests.

Q30: How to put Laravel applications in maintenance mode?

A: Laravel allows you to easily manage your application during updates or maintenance. To enable maintenance mode, use these commands:

# Enable maintenance mode
php artisan down
# Disable maintenance mode
php artisan up
# Set a refresh timer for clients (e.g., refresh after 60 seconds)
php artisan down --retry=60

Q31: How to implement soft delete in Laravel?

A: Keep in mind during your Laravel interview questions and answers session, you’ll also be asked questions where you’ll have to demonstrate the answer. Laravel's soft delete feature, introduced in version 5.6, doesn't permanently delete records from the database. Instead, it adds a deleted_at timestamp to mark them as deleted. To use soft deletes, add the SoftDeletes trait to your model:

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\SoftDeletes;
class YourModel extends Model
{
    use SoftDeletes;
}

Now, when you call delete() on a model instance, it sets the deleted_at timestamp without removing the record.

Q32: What is the Repository pattern in Laravel?

A: The Repository pattern in Laravel helps separate data access logic from business logic. It provides a way to manage how data is fetched and stored without mixing it with application logic. This separation makes code cleaner and easier to maintain.

Q33: Explain validations in Laravel.

A: Validation ensures that user-entered data is correct and secure. In Laravel, you can validate incoming data easily using rules defined in controllers or request classes. Laravel handles validation errors automatically and provides error messages to help guide users.

Q34: Explain the concept of method injection in Laravel.

A: For such Laravel interview questions and answers, you can just give a brief overview of your understanding. In Laravel method injection is used to make it easy to manage dependencies so that controllers can receive them automatically based on the type-hinted method parameters and Laravel’s service container is getting these dependencies when the method is called and this makes code more readable and maintainable.

Q35: How do I stop Artisan service in Laravel?

A: To stop an Artisan command that's running:

• On Windows, open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), find the PHP process running Artisan, and end it.
• On other systems, you can usually stop the process by pressing Ctrl + C in the command line where Artisan is running.

These steps should help you troubleshoot and stop any Artisan processes that are still running.

Laravel Interview Questions for 5 Years Experience

These Laravel interview questions for 5 years of experience will help you understand all the new developments in Laravel so that you don't lag behind in your Laravel interview.

Q36: What is Eloquent ORM in Laravel?

A: Laravel’s eloquent module is a PHP object-based interface that facilitates interaction with a database. This simplification of connecting tables, as well as carrying out operations like creating, reading, and updating or deleting records without the necessity of writing SQL queries, forms its main role.

Q37: How to remove a compiled class file?

A: To remove a compiled class file in Laravel, you can use the clear-compiled command which is provided by Laravel's Artisan command-line tool.

Q38: How do you handle AJAX requests in Laravel?

A: Laravel supports AJAX requests out of the box. To handle AJAX requests we will first create specific routes for them as Path::post, Fast Route::put, Route::patch and Route::delete methods do. When responding to such requests in controller methods, it is possible to return JSON data either through response()->json() call, which returns the JsonResponse instance

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Q39: How to define environment variables in Laravel?

A: In Laravel, you define environment variables in the .env file. This file uses the DotEnv library to manage your application's configuration settings. It's where you store sensitive information like API keys or database credentials. It's crucial not to include the .env file in your version control (e.g., Git) to protect your sensitive data.

If you're familiar with managing environment variables in Linux using commands like printenv, in Laravel, you set and manage these variables directly within the .env file using simple NAME=VALUE pairs.

Q40: Explain the concept of method visibility (public, private, protected) in Laravel.

A: In Laravel, methods can have different visibility:

• Public: These methods can be used from anywhere within the class, from other classes, or outside the class.
• Private: These methods are only accessible within the class where they are defined.
• Protected: Similar to private methods, but accessible also by child classes that inherit from the parent class.

These visibility levels help control how methods are accessed and used in Laravel applications.

Q41: What are named routes in Laravel, and how are they useful?

A: In Laravel, we can name the routes whereby each route has a distinct name. In place of using exact URLs, reference their names when speaking of routes. Scripts for producing hyperlinks or shifting to definite routes in your app become easier and reduces URLs that are hard-coded. The URLs are also lessened for easy understanding of the code, and are therefore more readable.

Q42: What are the default route files in Laravel?

A: Laravel has route files in the routes directory:

• routes/web.php: Web routes, including session management and CSRF protection.
• routes/api.php: API routes, use middleware for API requests.

Most applications start defining routes in routes/web.php and access them via URLs in the browser or through controller actions.

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Q43: How do you handle file uploads in Laravel?

A: File uploads in Laravel involves these steps:

• Prepare the HTML form: Create an HTML form with enctype="multipart/form-data" to handle file uploads.
• Handle the upload request: Define a route and controller method to receive the uploaded file using $request->file().
• Validate the file: Check file size, type and other criteria to make sure it meets your app’s requirements.
• Store the file: Choose a storage method (local disk or cloud storage) and save the uploaded file.
• Update the database: Optionally update database records with file details or store references to the file.
• Provide a response: After processing, tell the user if the upload was successful.

Follow these steps and you’ll have secure and efficient file uploads in your Laravel app.

Q44: What are macros in Laravel, and how do you define them?

A: Macros in Laravel allows you to add new methods to existing classes without modifying their original code. You define macros using Laravel’s Macroable trait and the macro method.

Macros can be applied to Laravel’s collections, requests, and responses. They make Laravel’s core features more powerful and tailored to your needs.

Q45: Explain the concept of encryption and decryption in Laravel.

A: Encryption in Laravel is converting sensitive data into a secure format using algorithms. This makes the data unreadable to unauthorized users so it’s protected from intruders.

Encryption starts with plain text (the original message), then it’s converted into cipher text (encrypted message) using cryptographic techniques. Decryption is the reverse of this process, converting ciphertext back into plain text for authorized users to read.

Q46: How do you implement authorization in Laravel using gates and policies?

A: Laravel has an authorization system through gates and policies:

• Gates: Define permissions for specific actions, like editing a post or deleting a comment. Gates are set in AuthServiceProvider.
• Policies: Control access to model resources based on rules. For example, policies can control access to user profiles or blog posts.

By having gates and policies, developers can customize and enforce access control in their Laravel apps. These tools makes sure users have the right permissions to do actions based on the defined authorization rules.

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Other Laravel Interview Questions and Answers

1. What is a Composer in Laravel?
2. What is an artisan?
3. Why use Route?
4. Who should use Laravel?
5. Can we use Laravel for Full Stack Development (Frontend + Backend)?
6. List default packages of Laravel 5.6.
7. What are the factories in Laravel?
8. How will you register service providers?
9. What is Auth? How is it used?
10. What are the basic concepts in laravel?
11. Tell us about your prior experience as a Laravel developer.
12. How would you install or set up a Laravel project?
13. Have you ever faced any challenges while working in distributed teams?
14. Explain how is migration important in Laravel?
15. What are some advantages of using Laravel?
16. What is the command to create a controller in Laravel?
17. What is Socialite in Laravel?
18. Explain traits in Laravel.
19. What are Eloquent models in Laravel?
20. Why Use Eloquent Over Raw SQL?
21. Explain dependency injection and their types.
22. What does task scheduling in Laravel means?
23. How do you configure a database in Laravel?
24. Explain the concept of service providers in Laravel.
25. How do you handle error logging and debugging in Laravel?
26. What server requirements does Laravel have?
27. What are the key features of Laravel?
28. How Laravel Middleware Works
29. Can you describe the Laravel request lifecycle?
30. How can you reduce memory usage?

Conclusion

So here you have it, our top Laravel interview questions and answers. Laravel is an outstanding PHP framework popular for its simplicity and powerful tools such as Composer to manage dependencies and Artisan CLI for task automation. This makes it one of the most preferred options during PHP development interviews and beyond due to its ease of use alongside being backed up by a thriving community.

FAQs

1. What are some common Laravel interview questions for beginners?

Common beginner questions include: What is Laravel, and why do you like it more than other PHP frameworks? Can you explain the MVC architecture? How do you install Laravel? What are migrations in Laravel? How do you handle validation in Laravel?

2. How should I prepare for advanced Laravel interview questions?

To prepare for advanced questions, learn the core concepts like Eloquent ORM, middleware, and service providers. Build complex applications, read the Laravel documentation, and stay updated with new features. Working on open-source projects can also help.

3. What are some key topics to focus on for Laravel interviews?

Focus on Laravel's directory structure, routing, middleware, Eloquent ORM, Blade templating, RESTful APIs, authentication, and testing.

4. Are there any specific Laravel features that interviewers often ask about?

Interviewers often ask about Eloquent ORM's advanced features, custom middleware, built-in authentication, event handling, broadcasting, and Laravel queues and jobs.

5. Can you suggest some practical exercises to prepare for a Laravel interview?

Build a simple CRUD app, create custom middleware, make a RESTful API, try event broadcasting for real-time notifications, and practice writing tests with PHPUnit.