Laravel Routing Explained

Laravel routing is one of the most important parts of a Laravel application.

Routing decides what happens when a user opens a URL in the browser.

Let’s understand routing step by step in very simple words.

What is Routing?

Routing means connecting a URL to some code.

Example:

When a user opens this URL in the browser:

https://example.com/about

Laravel needs to know:

• What page to show?
• Which code to run?

This decision is made by routes.

So, routing = telling Laravel what to do for a specific URL.

web.php Explained

In Laravel, routes are stored inside the routes folder.

The most common file is:

routes/web.php

This file is used for:

• Website pages
• Forms
• Pages that users see in the browser

Example of a simple route in web.php:

Route::get('/', function () {
    return "Welcome to Laravel";
});

This means:

• When someone opens the home page /
• Laravel shows the text “Welcome to Laravel”

Basic GET Routes

A GET route is used to show data or pages.

Example:

Route::get('/about', function () {
    return "This is the About page";
});

When the user opens:

/about

Laravel shows:

This is the About page

GET routes are mostly used for:

• Pages
• Reading data
• Showing content

Basic POST Routes

A POST route is used to send data to the server.

This is commonly used in:

• Forms
• Login pages
• Contact forms

Example:

Route::post('/submit-form', function () {
    return "Form submitted successfully";
});

This route:

• Accepts form data
• Processes it on the server

POST routes are used when:

• Data needs to be saved
• Data is sent securely

Route Parameters

Route parameters allow us to send values through the URL.

Example:

Route::get('/user/{name}', function ($name) {
    return "Hello " . $name;
});

If the user opens:

/user/John

Laravel will show:

Hello John

Here:

• {name} is a parameter
• $name receives the value from the URL

Route parameters are useful for:

• User profiles
• Blog posts
• Dynamic pages

Summary

• Routing connects URLs to code
• web.php contains website routes
• GET routes are used to show pages
• POST routes are used to send data
• Route parameters make URLs dynamic

Routing helps Laravel understand what to do and when to do it.