Interesting Applications and Websites Created in Laravel

Laravel is an open source framework written in PHP. Programmers build many applications in it, including e-commerce platforms and booking applications. It may also turn out that your favourite forums were created using this technology. Read our article and learn more about the most important features of Laravel and the projects created in it.

Laravel - framework characteristics

Laravel is an open source PHP-based application framework. It is well-documented and willingly used by programmers. It uses the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern, thanks to which the code is simple, understandable and organised, and the website development is extremely easy. This type of architecture is also an advantage when a whole team works on an application. The above-mentioned features are common to Symfony and Laravel, because the latter web framework was built on the components of the former.

Access to useful tools without the need for complicated setup

Laravel uses a framework based on Symfony, but differs from its predecessor. It allows you to start working on the application without having to carry out time-consuming setups first. The technology gives the user access to numerous tools necessary for building business solutions. Many of them are extremely valuable – such as Eloquent ORM, which makes it easier to work with databases, but there are also those that will turn out not to be useful for some projects and needs, so they will only constitute a lot of redundant code in the project.

Authentication and authorisation

Laravel offers modern and effective authentication and authorisation solutions. It includes built-in authentication and session services. They allow you to perform cookie-based authentication for requests sent from web browsers. Laravel's authentication features consist of 'guards' and 'providers'. The guard defines how users are authenticated for each request, and providers define how to retrieve users from permanent storage. Laravel retrieves user data using Eloquent and a query builder. Additional providers can be defined by the Laravel user, taking into account the individual needs of the application creator.

Blade Template - template engine

Blade Template is an engine that allows programmers to pre-define templates, the use of which will improve code writing and save time and financial resources spent on the project. When creating templates in PHP, the developer may encounter some inconvenience in the form of not very legible code fragments. The engine of the Blade templates makes it easier to work with them by providing a clear way of displaying variables and making it easier to inherit layouts.

Blade engine makes work with templates easier. It allows you to divide them into sections. You can put a repeating piece of code in one file, and then import it to the places you want to put it using built-in commands. Thanks to this, creating even complex applications using Laravel is simple and doesn’t take much time, and the final product is light and efficient.

Laravel - what projects is it most often used for?

It's good to choose Laravel if you are planning small projects that require quick implementation. This PHP framework, however, also allows you to build scalable applications with many functionalities and a high level of security. Below you will find examples of using this framework and the benefits it brought.

E-commerce platforms and online stores

Laravel allows you to use proven solutions created for the needs of e-commerce. This doesn’t prevent you from creating your own solutions from scratch, but it certainly saves time if the deadline for creating the e-commerce site is one of the most important issues on the project. If you use this framework, developing your sales platform and adding new functionalities will be easy thanks to:

• possibility of integrating the platform with an external call centre, wholesale or accounting system of the store, as well as with many tools that you currently use,
• possibility of implementing various payment methods,
• special packages designed for e-commerce (e.g. Aimeos or Vanilo), containing ready-made, proven components that facilitate work on a sales platform.

This PHP framework allows you to personalise the application, which is especially important if you want your clients to be positively surprised when communicating with your brand. You can easily integrate additional solutions such as payments, marketing automation tools, and ensure the safety of your clients.

Laravel was used to create the backend of the Teak & Twine online store. Also, a well-known e-commerce platform is Bagisto, which is easy to use for people without proper experience and technical knowledge.

Source: Bagisto

Integrated within this open source e-commerce platform are multiple payment methods, multi-currency transactions and Access Control List – a functionality that allows the administrator to grant the user access to specific parts of the platform.

B2B websites allowing for contacts between contractors and employers

Using Laravel, you can create a highly-functional tool that will make it easier for your B2B clients to outsource numerous services and help organise the task chaos that may arise when using external services without appropriate task management tools. Applications built in Laravel guarantee a high level of security for users thanks to regular component updates. This framework also allows you to quickly build complex tools for business and integrate third-party applications.

One such website is Contentoo. On this website, the client can select contractors for a specific product. The solution allows you to easily manage your contacts and use a messenger for communication. The user can also utilise a tool that reminds about deadlines.

E-learning and blog platforms

Lots of people run blogs, and just as many people read them regularly. Laravel can be a good choice if you want to create a website where you can share your thoughts or knowledge. This framework allows the website creator to use many functionalities, e.g. to conveniently share content within various communication channels, as well as to add the ability to register on the website or subscribe to the newsletter. Laravel gives you access to efficient databases and tools that will make content management on the website simple and pleasant.

An example of a platform built on Laravel is MyRank – an e-learning website. The framework provides MyRank with scalability – it allows managing constantly growing databases.

The combination of aesthetic design and functionality is surely evident in the small Canvas blogging application created by Todd Austin.

Source: Canvas

Canvas allows authors to write in the Summernote WYSIWYG editor that autosaves the content, add graphics, tag posts, and schedule posts for publication. These few functionalities make the application light, easy to use, as well as easy to extend in the future.

Booking platforms

Laravel is also often chosen by developers to create booking applications. Creating a PHP website of this type using this framework can be justified by the easy integration of payments. Applications and websites can also be expanded with additional functionalities at any time, when the brand develops and wants to offer additional services.

Restaurants can automate the process of table booking and customer service thanks to tools such as Tably. The application developed in Laravel allows efficient and convenient management of booking and saving important information on customer orders. Such a solution can be tailored to the needs of a specific restaurant chain or establishment. Another application - BonAppetour - connects travellers and hosts from different parts of the world, allowing them to efficiently arrange tastings of local home-made dishes. The use of this PHP framework allows efficient platform management and effective collection of information in databases.

Forums

Flarum is one of the software that allows you to design complex and – at the same time – secure modern forums. Many functionalities allow you to create engaging, good-looking, responsive, fast and efficient forums tailored to the needs and expectations of various communities.

Source: Flarum

Laravel is a great choice in this case, because it allows you to quickly create a simple platform and then extend it over time by adding numerous interesting tools. Logged-in users will certainly appreciate such things as real-time notifications.

An example of such a forum is the Laracasts portal dedicated to Laravel. The backend of this forum was built in Laravel. The knowledge database about this framework is well-organised. Programmers can find there not only a discussion group, but also numerous podcasts, courses and articles. A similar community for developers is the WeStryve website, which uses Laravel to provide security and the ability to exchange knowledge to the forum’s users.

Modern systems for company management

Nowadays, company management requires many specialised solutions – CRM, CMS, marketing automation tools and others. Experienced companies know that it’s good to choose personalised solutions, the implementation of which will increase the efficiency of external and internal processes. Laravel is a technology that is great for creating such systems. When you use it, work on the database runs smoothly. A useful tool in this case is Eloquent, which is used to design databases using classes in PHP. This makes the programmer's job easier and more enjoyable. Laravel allows you to create a useful tool with numerous functionalities, invaluable in content management.

The open source October CMS is an example of a modern, easy-to-use content management tool. When visiting a website dedicated to the CMS, you can see the list of functionalities that it uses and learn the brand's opinion on the use of Laravel and PHP.

October is built on Laravel, the best existing PHP framework. The framework includes all of the tools and classes that are necessary for building quality websites and applications'. (Source: October CMS)

Do you need a multi-functional accounting management program? Another great solution created in Laravel is Invoice Ninja. Laravel equips the application with the soft delete function. When you use this function, the data isn’t really irretrievably deleted from the database. It’s only excluded in future processes, and the database will keep track of when it was "deleted". You can imagine it as a kind of trash can where the deleted data ends up. This allows the deleted information to be restored, if necessary.

Source: Invoice Ninja

The number of applications created in this framework is very high – you will find plenty of descriptions of Laravel web projects on the Internet.

Is Laravel perfect framework for your new project?

As you can see, this framework can turn out to be a great technology for implementing many different projects. It allows you to quickly create numerous interesting functionalities while ensuring high performance, simplicity and security of the application or website. Read about other PHP frameworks if you are considering using a PHP development service to create a solution for your company.