Laravel Valet is a macOS-specific development environment designed to streamline the process of developing PHP applications, especially Laravel projects.
It provides a simple, elegant, and lightweight solution for local development.
With Laravel Valet, developers can focus on writing code and building applications rather than configuring complex server environments. In this article, we'll explore what Laravel Valet is, how to install it, and why it's a fantastic choice for macOS-based Laravel developers.
What is Laravel Valet?
Laravel Valet is a development environment that was created by the Laravel community to simplify the setup and management of PHP projects on macOS.
It's designed to offer a smooth and efficient experience for Laravel developers but can be used for any PHP project.
Here are some key features and benefits of Laravel Valet:
- Lightweight: Valet is incredibly lightweight and doesn't consume many system resources. It uses native macOS tools like Dnsmasq and Nginx under the hood to efficiently serve your PHP applications.
- Automated Configuration: Setting up a new project is as simple as creating a new directory and accessing it via a browser. Valet handles the rest, including configuring the web server, creating a secure local URL, and managing DNS resolution.
- Zero Configuration: Valet doesn't require you to configure virtual hosts or edit Apache or Nginx configuration files manually. It just works out of the box.
- Secure: Valet automatically generates secure HTTPS URLs for your projects using self-signed SSL certificates. This ensures that your development environment closely resembles a production setup, which can help catch issues related to mixed content or HTTPS early in development.
- Shareable URLs: Valet allows you to share your local development sites with colleagues or clients easily using a shareable URL that is secured with HTTP Basic Authentication.
Installing Laravel Valet
To get started with Laravel Valet, follow these steps:
- Requirements: Laravel Valet requires macOS, Homebrew, and PHP to be installed on your system. Make sure you have these prerequisites before proceeding.
- Install Composer: If you haven't already, install Composer globally on your system.
- Install Valet: Open your terminal and run the following commands:
composer global require laravel/valet valet install
- Start the Service: To start Valet and ensure it runs automatically when you boot your system, use the following command:
valet start
- Park a Directory: Navigate to your project directory and run:
valet park
This will map your project directory to a subdomain on
*.test, allowing you to access your project via a browser at http://yourproject.test.Using Laravel Valet
With Laravel Valet installed, working on your Laravel or PHP projects becomes a breeze:
- Creating Projects: To start a new Laravel project, simply create a new directory and visit it in your browser. Valet will automatically configure the project for you.
- Secure HTTPS: Valet generates self-signed SSL certificates, so your projects can be accessed via secure HTTPS URLs. No more mixed content issues when developing for HTTPS environments.
- Database Setup: Valet includes tools to manage databases like MySQL. You can easily configure your projects to use the database of your choice.
- Shareable URLs: You can share your projects with others by running
valet share project-name, which will create a secure URL for your project.
Wrapping Up
Laravel Valet is a fantastic choice for macOS-based Laravel developers who want a straightforward and efficient development environment.
Its lightweight nature, automated configuration, and HTTPS support make it an excellent tool for building PHP applications.
Whether you're working on Laravel projects or other PHP-based applications, give Laravel Valet a try and experience a hassle-free development environment that lets you focus on what you do best: coding.