Setting Up Your Laravel Environment

+15 Mana ✨
Laravel Installation Guide(DOCUMENTATION)Laravel Installation Guide(DOCUMENTATION)

Introduction

Before writing a single route you need PHP, Composer, the Laravel installer, and Node.js on your machine. This lesson walks you through the one-command installers for macOS, Windows, and Linux, plus the all-in-one Laravel Herd option.

Key Concepts

  • PHP: The runtime Laravel executes on. Laravel 13 requires PHP 8.3 or higher.
  • Composer: PHP's package manager — Laravel and its dependencies are installed through it.
  • Laravel installer: A global Composer package that adds the laravel new command.
  • Node.js / Bun: Needed to bundle frontend assets with Vite.
  • Laravel Herd: An all-in-one macOS/Windows environment that bundles PHP, Nginx, and databases.

Real World Context

Onboarding a new teammate to a Laravel project used to take half a day. Modern installers (php.new, Herd) cut that to minutes — a fresh laptop can run laravel new before the coffee is ready.

Deep Dive

Before creating Laravel applications, you need to install PHP, Composer, and the Laravel installer. Let's get everything ready for development.

Prerequisites

Laravel 13 requires:

  • PHP 8.3 or higher (we recommend PHP 8.4)
  • Composer (PHP package manager)
  • Node.js and NPM (for frontend assets)
  • A code editor (VS Code, PhpStorm, or Cursor)

Step 1: Install PHP and Composer

The easiest way to install PHP, Composer, and the Laravel installer is using the official installation scripts.

On macOS
bash
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://php.new/install/mac/8.4)"

This installs:

  • PHP 8.4
  • Composer
  • Laravel installer

Restart your terminal after installation.

On Windows (PowerShell as Administrator)
powershell
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
[System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072
iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://php.new/install/windows/8.4'))
On Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)
bash
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://php.new/install/linux/8.4)"
Verify Installation
bash
# Check PHP version
php --version
# PHP 8.4.x

# Check Composer
composer --version
# Composer version 2.x.x

# Check Laravel installer
laravel --version
# Laravel Installer x.x.x

Step 2: Install Node.js

Laravel uses Vite for frontend asset compilation. You need Node.js:

Using the Official Installer

Download from https://nodejs.org (LTS version recommended)

Using nvm (Node Version Manager) - Recommended
bash
# Install nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash

# Install Node.js
nvm install --lts

# Verify
node --version
npm --version
Alternative: Using Bun

Laravel also supports Bun as a faster alternative:

bash
curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

Step 3: Choose a Code Editor

We recommend these editors for Laravel development:

VS Code / Cursor

Install these extensions:

  • PHP Intelephense - Smart PHP support
  • Laravel Extension Pack - Blade, Artisan, and more
  • Laravel Blade Snippets - Blade template support
  • DotENV - Environment file syntax
PhpStorm

PhpStorm has excellent built-in Laravel support including:

  • Blade template support
  • Eloquent model autocompletion
  • Route and view navigation
  • Artisan command integration

Alternative: Laravel Herd

Laravel Herd is an all-in-one development environment that includes PHP, Nginx, and more.

On macOS
  1. Download from https://herd.laravel.com
  2. The installer sets up everything automatically
  3. Applications in ~/Herd are served on .test domains
bash
cd ~/Herd
laravel new my-app
cd my-app
herd open  # Opens http://my-app.test in browser
On Windows
  1. Download Herd for Windows
  2. Applications go in %USERPROFILE%\Herd
  3. Same .test domain feature

Troubleshooting

"php: command not found"

Restart your terminal or add PHP to your PATH.

"Permission denied" on macOS/Linux

Don't use sudo with Composer. Fix permissions instead:

bash
sudo chown -R $USER ~/.composer
Composer memory errors

Increase memory limit:

bash
COMPOSER_MEMORY_LIMIT=-1 composer install

Common Pitfalls

  1. Using sudo composer — It breaks file permissions under your home directory. Fix permissions with chown -R $USER ~/.composer instead.
  2. Installing PHP from multiple sources — Running a Homebrew PHP alongside Herd's PHP leads to version confusion. Pick one and stick with it.

Best Practices

  1. Match PHP versions to Laravel — Laravel 13 needs 8.3+. Run php --version before you start and upgrade if needed.
  2. Use Herd on macOS/Windows — It saves you hours of manual nginx, database, and DNS wiring.

Summary

  • Laravel 13 requires PHP 8.3 or higher.
  • Composer installs Laravel and its dependencies.
  • The laravel new installer is the fastest way to start a project.
  • Node.js (or Bun) is needed to build frontend assets.
  • Laravel Herd bundles everything on macOS and Windows.
✓ Completed