The ultimate Laravel 10 guide: Everything you need to know

Out of so many PHP frameworks available, Laravel is one of the most prominently used frameworks for web development. The first version was released in 2011. Laravel 10 was launched recently on February 14, 2023, making it the latest version. If you are wondering what are the changes in Laravel 10 and what would work and what won’t work from the previous version. Here is the blog that provides you with information about the important features and updates in Laravel 10.

What’s new in Laravel 10: Features and Updates

1. PHP

PHP 8.0 is not supported by Laravel 10. Users need to upgrade to PHP 8.1 or 8.2 to work with Laravel 10. There are some features in Laravel 10 that require at least PHP 8.1 to work effectively.

2. Native-type declarations

In the previous versions of Laravel DocBlocks was used. DocBlocks are placed in skeleton code where they provide information about the purpose of the particular code, along with the information regarding the response. The new upgradation in Laravel 10 is the use of native type declarations. It will be used in skeleton code and it will help in knowing the return type and hint types.

3. Laravel Pennant

Laravel Pennant is a new first-party package added to the features of Laravel 10. With the help of Laravel pennant, the user can add a feature flag which is an important part of the development. Feature flags let the user enable or disable a feature without making changes to the code, during the run time. It is beneficial for applications that constantly need to add new features. The package allows testing for specific users, making it convenient.

4. Invokeable validation rules

The upgrade has made it easier for developers to create custom validation rules of their own. In Laravel 10 all the validation rules are invokable by default, which was not the case earlier. In Laravel 9 the user needed to add an invokable flag after the artisan command, Laravel 10 makes it default, no longer required to add the invokable flag.

5. dispatchNow()

dispatchNow() function no longer exists in Laravel 10, it was a part of Laravel 9. In place of dispatchNow(), dispatchSync() is used in Laravel 10. The job execution process has become better because of dispatchSync() in Laravel 10. It does not follow the queue process and dispatches the job immediately.

6. Predis 1

The Predis 1 version is not supported any more in Laravel 10. Predis 1 and Predis 2 were both supported previously but in Laravel 10, you need to upgrade to Predis 2.

7. Routing

One of the major improvements in Laravel 10 is routing optimization. Optimizing the number of method calls has been reduced significantly along with property accessibility. Ultimately reducing the overhead and increasing the speed. In Laravel 10 route caching allows pre-compiling the routes into a single file, which helps in managing the incoming requests efficiently.

8. Task scheduling

There are several tasks in an application that are repetitive. In Laravel 10 one of the focuses was to optimize task scheduling which has been achieved with some upgrades. There have been changes made in the console command that improves the application efficiency. The syntax for scheduling tasks has been made simpler, adding functionalities like listing, inspecting, and deleting for better schedule management.

9. Better interface

The recent developments in Laravel 10, have improvised the creation of an interactive user interface for applications. The number of styling and layout options has increased significantly, providing users variety to choose from as per their requirements. In Laravel 10 the user can now also customize the top navigation bar. With Laravel 10 internationalization support the application can be translated into different languages. It is advantageous for applications that need their application to be multilingual.

10. Application Security

One of the major concerns for any application is security. In Laravel 10 there have been certain modifications that have improved the security feature. In the latest version content security policy has been implemented that reduces the chance of data theft or any other type of malicious attack. Laravel 10 uses hashed and salted password process for password protection as it doesn’t save the password in the database as plain text.

11. Official package

In parallel with the framework update, the official packages are also being updated so that they can support Laravel 10.

Here is the list of updated official packages:

• Breeze
• Dusk
• Horizon
• Installer
• Jetstream
• Passport
• Pint
• Sail
• Valet
• Pennant
• Scout
• Cashier Stripe

12. Column Type Native Retrieval

In Laravel 10 the dependency on external package doctrine/dbal is to use the Schema::getColumnType method. When we use Schema::getColumnType we get the actual column type and not the dbal equivalent type which was the case earlier. This feature fastens the data processing speed and it also lets you write integration for the new native column modifying feature.

Also read: 10 Best PHP Frameworks That Are Setting New Trends

Deprecations from Laravel 10

In Laravel 10 a lot of features have been added, also some of them have been deprecated.

Some of them are listed here:

• Route::home method
• assertsTimesSent
• Native PHP 8.1 array_is_list function
• Dates property
• Composer 1. x is not supported anymore in Laravel 10.

How to upgrade from Laravel 9 to Laravel 10

The features added to Laravel 10 framework makes it more efficient with several added functionality. So in case, you want to upgrade your current application to Laravel 10 some basic requirements,

• Application must be on Laravel 9 or above.
• The server must have PHP 8.1.

How to install Laravel 10?

To install Laravel 10 you can go through installing Laravel.
or
You can use composer-
Composer create-project –prefer-dist Laravel/Laravel hello-world

Conclusion

In case you have existing applications that use Laravel and you want to understand how these updates will affect your application, consult a Laravel development company. They can provide you with the required assistance. We have built several applications using Laravel for our clients across various industries, and we extend our support in case of any upgradation required. Our developers are well experienced in Laravel and stay updated with the latest versions and developments too.