What's New in Laravel 12

Laravel 12 is here! And guess what? Basically, nothing is new ... well, almost nothing. This release is more about maintenance and dependency updates rather than flashy new features. 

Think of it as Laravel getting a haircut and trimming some loose ends rather than a full makeover. But hey, smooth upgrades and stability are just as important, right? So, let's take a look at what Laravel 12 brings to the table (even if it's mostly the same table).

A Maintenance-Focused Release

Laravel 12 is primarily a maintenance-focused release that updates upstream dependencies with minimal breaking changes or major new features. Because of this, most Laravel applications can be upgraded without modifying existing code. 🚀

The Laravel team has emphasized a strategy of shipping new features throughout the year in minor updates while using major yearly releases to handle dependency updates and PHP version compatibility. This approach ensures a smooth developer experience and minimizes upgrade pain points.

Over the past year, Laravel 11 introduced many stellar features, and Laravel 12 will continue to receive regular updates as the year unfolds.

Introducing New Starter Kits

One of the key highlights of Laravel 12 (although it's not part of Laravel 12 but rather a co-release) is the introduction of new starter kits. Developers can now choose from React, Vue, or Livewire starter kits, making it easier to scaffold modern frontend applications with Laravel. These kits include:

• ShadCN UI components for a clean and modern UI.

• Flux components (optional in Livewire stack) as a free alternative for Livewire developers.

• WorkOS AuthKit support, providing authentication options such as:

  • Social authentication

  • Passkey authentication

  • Email-based authentication

  • SSO with WorkOS

For more details on how to use these new starter kits, check out the official documentation.

PHP 8.2 Minimum Support Continues

Laravel 12 continues to require PHP 8.2 as the minimum supported version. This ensures that Laravel applications benefit from the latest PHP performance improvements and security updates. As this is mainly a maintenance release, breaking changes are minimal, making the upgrade process seamless for most applications.

How to Install Laravel 12

To install Laravel 12, ensure you're using the latest version of Laravel Herd or update your Laravel Installer globally:

composer global require laravel/installer

Then, create a new Laravel project with:

laravel new projectname

And you're ready to start building with Laravel 12!

How to Updrade to Laravel 12 from Older Versions

Upgrading to Laravel 12 from an older version is straightforward, thanks to its minimal breaking changes. Check the official upgrade guide on how to achieve that. 

Keep building! 🤘