New Release
A new version of Laravel is being released this week: Laravel 11. Rumours have been swirling for months, and we have summarized the most important information.
Laravel, the leading PHP framework, is launching its latest version, Laravel 11. At byte5, Laravel is our first choice for complex, mission-critical web solutions. Its modern, flexible architecture gives our programmers a lot of freedom and is very powerful.
In February, Laravel 9 reached its end-of-life phase, and Laravel 10 will receive security updates only from August onwards. Projects using Laravel 11 can expect bug fixes until September 2025 and security updates until March 2026.
PHP 8.2 as the New Standard
The upgrade from PHP 8.1 to PHP 8.2 may seem subtle, but it significantly boosts the framework's performance. Improved type processing and static analysis contribute to this. Additionally, a new PHP version always brings a higher security standard. With the new minimum standard, Laravel 11 is compatible with the latest features and can fully leverage the potential of PHP 8.2.
Upgrading to a new version always carries some risks. Various dependencies must be considered during the update, and a working backup and thorough testing are mandatory.
New Application Structure
The new application structure makes Laravel more organized and simplifies the organization of project files. The structure has not been changed in recent years, so we are excited about the update, which also reduces superfluous code. Some directories disappear, e.g., app/http/Middleware: If something needs to be adjusted anyway, there is a workaround via App/ServiceProvider. The long-term goal is faster and more efficient programming. In the short term, however, this means an adjustment: Experienced programmers have internalized the usual structure.
Laravel Reverb
The revolution in real-time WebSocket communication for Laravel applications comes with Laravel Reverb. Before its introduction, developers were forced to pay fees to third-party providers for WebSocket support. Now, Reverb offers a cost-efficient first-party solution that not only saves costs but also ensures fast transmissions. It seamlessly integrates into Laravel's existing event broadcasting ecosystem, including Laravel Echo. With the command 'php artisan reverb:start', this innovative function can be easily activated. Moreover, Reverb allows horizontal scaling through the use of Redis's publish and subscribe mechanisms, so WebSocket traffic can be distributed across multiple Reverb servers, ensuring excellent performance even under heavy demand.
"Laravel 11 will run safer and faster than previous Laravel versions, and we look forward to utilizing the advantages and features of PHP 8.2 in our projects."
Jure Knezovic,
Developer
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