This beginner-friendly guide will walk you step by step through setting up Laravel on Windows, Mac, and Linux. We will cover everything from installing prerequisites like PHP and Composer to creating and running your first Laravel project. With clear explanations, code examples, and actionable steps, you’ll gain the confidence to start building applications with Larav
Laravel is one of the most powerful and elegant PHP frameworks available today. Whether you’re on Windows, macOS, or Linux, setting up Laravel properly is the first crucial step in your journey as a developer. This guide is designed like a professional tutorial script, so you can follow along as if you’re watching a step-by-step video or reading a course handout.
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Before we dive into installation, it’s important to know what Laravel needs to run. Laravel has some minimum server requirements. If these are missing, Laravel won’t function correctly.
| Requirement | Minimum Version |
|---|---|
| PHP | 8.1 or higher |
| Composer | Latest |
| Database | MySQL 5.7+, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL |
| Web Server | Apache/Nginx (development uses built-in server) |
Along with PHP, Laravel requires a few PHP extensions like BCMath, Ctype, Fileinfo, JSON, Mbstring, OpenSSL, PDO, Tokenizer, and XML. Don’t worry—most modern PHP installations include these by default.
On Windows, the easiest way to install PHP is through XAMPP or WAMP. These packages include PHP, Apache, and MySQL in a single installer.
php -vRun this command in your Command Prompt to verify installation.
Composer is a dependency manager for PHP. Download the Windows installer from getcomposer.org.
composer -VOnce Composer is installed, create a new Laravel project using:
composer create-project laravel/laravel blogMove into the project directory and start the server:
cd blog
php artisan serveVisit http://127.0.0.1:8000 in your browser to see the Laravel welcome page.
On macOS, the best way to manage packages is via Homebrew. Install it with:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"brew install phpphp -vbrew install composercomposer -Vcomposer create-project laravel/laravel blogcd blog
php artisan serveYou should now see the Laravel welcome page by visiting http://127.0.0.1:8000.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgradesudo apt install php php-cli php-mbstring unzip curl php-xml composer git -yphp -vcomposer -Vcomposer create-project laravel/laravel blogcd blog
php artisan serveOpen http://127.0.0.1:8000 in your browser. Congratulations—you’ve successfully installed Laravel on Linux!
No matter your operating system, after serving Laravel, you should see the default Laravel welcome page.
Sometimes you may face issues during setup. Here are common errors and solutions:
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Command php not found | PHP not installed or not added to PATH | Reinstall PHP and update system PATH |
| Composer not recognized | Composer not added to PATH | Reinstall Composer and check PATH |
| Missing PHP extensions | Required extensions not installed | Install extensions like mbstring, xml, pdo |
Now that you have Laravel installed, here’s what you can explore next:
Setting up Laravel may look different across Windows, Mac, and Linux, but the fundamentals remain the same: install PHP, install Composer, create a project, and run it. With your Laravel environment now ready, you are well on your way to mastering modern PHP development.
Happy coding, and welcome to the Laravel community!
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