Understanding Laravel Folder Structure: A Beginner’s Guide

After installing Laravel, you might open your project and see many folders. Don’t worry! Each folder has a purpose. Let’s break it down.

1. app/

The app folder contains the core code of your application:

• Models: Represent your database tables.
• Http: Controllers, middleware, and requests.
• Console: Commands for Artisan CLI.

Think of app as the “brain” of your Laravel project.

2. bootstrap/

• Contains files to start Laravel framework.
• The cache folder stores compiled configurations and routes for faster performance.

3. config/

• All configuration files for your app live here.
• Example: app.php, database.php, mail.php.

Tip: Change environment-specific settings in .env instead of directly editing these files.

4. database/

• Migrations: Manage database schema.
• Seeders: Fill tables with test data.
• Factories: Generate fake data for testing.

5. public/

• The entry point of your application (index.php).
• Place CSS, JS, images, and uploaded files here.
• All URLs are served from this folder.

6. resources/

• Views: Blade templates for your frontend.
• CSS/JS: Assets before compilation.
• lang: Translation files.

7. routes/

• Define all your application routes here:
• web.php → Routes for web pages.
• api.php → Routes for APIs.

8. storage/

• Stores logs, cache, and uploaded files.
• Subfolders: app, framework, logs.

9. tests/

• Write tests for your app to ensure everything works.
• Includes Feature and Unit tests.

10. vendor/

• Composer dependencies are stored here.
• Don’t edit anything inside this folder.

Tip for Beginners:

Think of Laravel as a “well-organized city” where each folder has a specific role. Once you understand it, navigating your project becomes much easier!