Ultimate Guide to Laravel Learning: Top Free and Paid Resources for 2024

Laravel, the popular PHP web application framework, has gained immense traction in recent years due to its elegance, simplicity, and powerful features. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, mastering Laravel can open up new opportunities and enhance your web development skills.

Getting Started with Laravel

Before diving into the learning resources, it’s essential to understand the basics of Laravel and set up your development environment.

Understanding Laravel

Laravel is a robust and expressive PHP framework that follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern. It simplifies web development by providing a wide range of features out-of-the-box, such as routing, database management, authentication, and more. Laravel’s elegant syntax and powerful tools make it a popular choice among developers worldwide.

Setting Up the Development Environment

To start learning Laravel, you’ll need to set up a development environment. This typically involves installing PHP, a web server (such as Apache or Nginx), a database management system (like MySQL or PostgreSQL), and Managed Laravel Hosting. The official Laravel documentation provides detailed instructions for setting up your development environment on various operating systems.

First Steps with Laravel

Once your development environment is set up, you can familiarize yourself with Laravel’s structure and basic concepts. The official Laravel documentation has an excellent “Getting Started” section that guides you through creating your first Laravel project, understanding the project structure, and exploring essential features like routing, views, and controllers.

Top Free Resources for Learning Laravel

The Laravel community offers a wealth of free resources to help you learn and master the framework. Here are some of the best options:

Official Documentation

The Laravel documentation is a comprehensive and well-written resource that covers every aspect of the framework. It’s an excellent starting point for beginners and a valuable reference for experienced developers. The documentation is constantly updated with each new Laravel release, ensuring that you have access to the latest information.

Laravelcasts

Laravelcasts is a free video tutorial series created by the Laravel community. It covers a wide range of topics, from basic concepts to advanced techniques, and is suitable for both beginners and experienced developers. The videos are well-structured and easy to follow, making them an excellent resource for visual learners.

YouTube Channels

Several YouTube channels provide high-quality Laravel tutorials and tips. Here are some popular ones:

Traversy Media

Traversy Media is a go-to channel for web development tutorials, including Laravel. They offer beginner-friendly tutorials, coding sessions, and tips for building real-world applications with Laravel.

Academind

Academind is another great channel that covers a variety of web development topics, including Laravel. Their tutorials are well-structured and suitable for both beginners and intermediate developers.

Blogs and Articles

The Laravel community is vibrant, and developers share their knowledge and experiences through blogs and articles. Here are some popular ones:

Laracasts Blog

The Laracasts blog is maintained by the team behind the Laracasts video series. It covers a wide range of Laravel-related topics, with in-depth tutorials, tips, and insights from experienced developers.

Pusher Blog

The Pusher blog is a valuable resource for developers, featuring articles on various web development topics, including Laravel. They offer practical tutorials and guides on building modern web applications with Laravel and other technologies.

Devrims Blog

If you are at the start of your Laravel journey or you are a professional who needs some development inspiration, you can always check Devrims Blog. The managed cloud hosting startup publishes interesting content on their site in an easy-to-follow manner with relevant screenshots.

Open Source Projects and GitHub

Contributing to open-source projects is an excellent way to learn Laravel hands-on. GitHub is a treasure trove of Laravel projects, ranging from small utilities to full-fledged applications. By exploring and contributing to these projects, you can gain practical experience and learn from experienced developers.

Top Paid Resources for Learning Laravel

While free resources are abundant, investing in paid resources can provide a more structured and comprehensive learning experience. Here are some of the top paid resources for learning Laravel:

Laracasts

Laracasts is a comprehensive video tutorial platform created by Jeffrey Way, a renowned Laravel expert. It offers a vast library of video tutorials covering every aspect of Laravel development, from beginner to advanced level. Laracasts also provides access to a vibrant community forum, where you can ask questions and get support from experienced developers.

Udemy Courses

Udemy offers a wide range of Laravel courses, taught by experienced instructors. Here are two popular Laravel courses on Udemy:

Laravel: Up & Running

This course by Brad Traversy is designed for beginners and covers Laravel’s fundamentals, including routing, views, controllers, databases, authentication, and more. It also includes practical projects to solidify your understanding of the framework.

Advanced Laravel and Vue.js

For intermediate to advanced developers, this course by Adam Wathan covers more advanced topics like Laravel’s service container, event broadcasting, package development, and integrating Vue.js with Laravel.

Pluralsight

Pluralsight is a popular online learning platform that offers various Laravel courses, covering both basic and advanced topics. Their courses are taught by industry experts and provide a structured learning experience with quizzes and hands-on exercises.

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) is another excellent online learning platform with a wide range of Laravel courses. Their courses are often project-based, helping you learn by building real-world applications.

Books

While video tutorials and online courses are great, books can provide a more in-depth and comprehensive understanding of Laravel. Here are some popular Laravel books:

“Laravel Up & Running” by Matt Stauffer

This book by Matt Stauffer is a great resource for beginners and covers the fundamentals of Laravel, including routing, views, controllers, authentication, and more. It also includes practical examples and projects to solidify your understanding.

Mastering Laravel by Christopher John Pecoraro

As the title suggests, this book is designed for developers who want to take their Laravel skills to the next level. It covers advanced topics like Laravel’s service container, package development, and testing, making it a valuable resource for experienced Laravel developers.

Specialized Laravel Learning Resources

In addition to the general resources mentioned above, there are several specialized resources that cater to specific aspects of Laravel development:

Podcasts

Podcasts are a great way to stay up-to-date with the latest Laravel news and learn from experienced developers. Here are two popular Laravel podcasts:

The Laravel Podcast

The Laravel Podcast is hosted by Mohamed Said, a Laravel developer and instructor. It covers a wide range of Laravel-related topics, with guests from the Laravel community sharing their experiences and insights.

Full Stack Radio

While not exclusively focused on Laravel, Full Stack Radio is a popular podcast that covers various web development topics, including Laravel. It features interviews with experienced developers and discussions on the latest trends and best practices.

Webinars and Live Workshops

Webinars and live workshops provide an interactive learning experience, allowing you to learn from experts and get your questions answered in real-time. Several organizations and individuals offer webinars and workshops on Laravel, covering various topics and skill levels.

Community Forums and Groups

The Laravel community is vibrant and supportive, with numerous forums and groups where you can ask questions, share ideas, and learn from experienced developers. Here are some popular options:

Laracasts Forum

The Laracasts Forum is a dedicated community forum for Laravel developers. It’s a great place to ask questions, get help, and learn from experienced developers and Laravel experts.

Reddit (r/laravel)

The Laravel subreddit on Reddit is an active community where developers share news, tips, and discussions related to Laravel development.

Building Real-World Projects

While learning resources are invaluable, building real-world projects is crucial for solidifying your Laravel knowledge and gaining practical experience. Here are some ways to kickstart your project-based learning:

Project-Based Learning

Many paid resources and online courses, such as those on Udemy and Pluralsight, include practical projects or assignments to help you apply your Laravel knowledge in a real-world setting.

Challenges and Contests

Participating in coding challenges and contests can be an excellent way to test your Laravel skills and learn from others. Several organizations and communities host Laravel-specific challenges and hackathons throughout the year.

Mentorship and Pair Programming

Collaborating with experienced Laravel developers through mentorship programs or pair programming sessions can provide invaluable guidance and accelerate your learning curve.

Continuous Learning and Staying Updated

Laravel is a constantly evolving framework, with new releases and updates introducing new features and improvements. To stay ahead of the curve, it’s essential to continuously learn and adapt. Here are some tips for continuous learning and staying updated:

Following Laravel News

Follow official Laravel news sources, such as the Laravel News website and the Laravel Twitter account, to stay informed about new releases, updates, and upcoming features.

Attending Conferences

Attending Laravel-specific conferences, such as Laracon, can be an excellent opportunity to learn from industry experts, network with other developers, and stay updated on the latest Laravel trends and best practices.

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Keeping Up with New Releases

Whenever a new Laravel release is announced, take the time to review the release notes and explore the new features and improvements. The Laravel community is actively involved in testing and discussing new releases, which can be a valuable learning experience. 

Conclusion

Learning Laravel can be a rewarding journey, opening up new opportunities for web development. With the abundance of free and paid resources available, you have a wealth of options to choose from based on your learning style, budget, and skill level.

Remember, learning is an ongoing process, and mastering Laravel requires dedication, practice, and a willingness to continuously learn and adapt. By combining various resources, building real-world projects, and actively participating in the Laravel community, you can develop a deep understanding of the framework and become a proficient Laravel developer.