To install Laravel, you can follow a few steps to get the framework set up on your local machine. Here’s a breakdown of the process:

Prerequisites:

Before installing Laravel, ensure that the following requirements are met:

1. PHP: Laravel requires PHP 8.0 or higher. You can check your PHP version using the command:

   php -v
   

2. Composer: Composer is the dependency manager for PHP, which is used to install Laravel and its dependencies. You can download Composer from getcomposer.org, and install it globally.

3. Web Server: Laravel works with most modern web servers like Apache, Nginx, or the built-in PHP development server.

4. Database (Optional): While not required for installation, Laravel works with databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, or SQL Server, so make sure to install a database engine if your project requires one.

Installation Process:

1. Install Laravel via Composer

You can install Laravel globally via Composer or create a new Laravel project using Composer.

Option 1: Install Laravel Installer Globally

• Install Laravel globally using the following Composer command:

  composer global require laravel/installer
  

• After installing the Laravel installer, add Composer's global vendor directory to your system's PATH so that the laravel executable can be located globally.

  For example, on Linux or macOS, you can add this to your .bashrc or .zshrc:

  export PATH="$HOME/.composer/vendor/bin:$PATH"
  

  On Windows, you can add the path using the environment variables settings.

• Now, you can create a new Laravel project by running:

  laravel new project_name
  

Option 2: Use Composer Directly

• If you don’t want to install the Laravel installer globally, you can create a new Laravel project directly using Composer:

  composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel project_name
  

2. Navigate to the Project Directory

After creating your Laravel project, move into the newly created project directory:

cd project_name

3. Start the Development Server

Laravel comes with a built-in development server for local use. You can start the server using the Artisan CLI:

php artisan serve

By default, the server will start at http://localhost:8000. You can access your Laravel application in the browser by visiting this URL.

Verifying the Installation:

If the installation was successful, you should see the default Laravel welcome page in your browser when you visit http://localhost:8000.

Additional Setup (Optional):

1. Database Configuration

• If your project requires database usage, configure your database settings in the .env file located in the project root directory. You can specify the database connection, username, and password:

  DB_CONNECTION=mysql
  DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
  DB_PORT=3306
  DB_DATABASE=your_database_name
  DB_USERNAME=your_username
  DB_PASSWORD=your_password
  

• Laravel uses php artisan migrate to apply migrations and set up your database tables.

2. Setting Up File Permissions

• Ensure that the storage and bootstrap/cache directories are writable by your web server:

  sudo chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache
  

3. Environment Setup

• Laravel comes with an .env file for environment configuration. You may need to set the appropriate application environment settings here (e.g., APP_NAME, APP_URL, APP_ENV).

Alternative Installation Methods:

1. Using Laravel Sail (Docker): Laravel Sail provides an easy way to set up a Laravel development environment using Docker. If you have Docker installed, you can use Sail:

   • Run the following command after creating a project:

     ./vendor/bin/sail up
     

   This will set up a Docker environment with all necessary dependencies, such as PHP, MySQL, Redis, etc.

2. Installing on Homestead (Virtual Machine): Laravel Homestead is an official Vagrant box that provides a full-featured development environment. You can install Homestead for a more advanced setup by following the Homestead documentation.

Troubleshooting:

• Composer Memory Limit: If you encounter a memory limit error while running Composer, you can bypass it by increasing the memory limit:

  php -d memory_limit=-1 /usr/local/bin/composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel project_name
  

With Laravel successfully installed, you’re ready to start building applications!