In mobile app development, the backend holds prime importance. Having a trustable and dependable technology to take care of data and back end operations is crucial for App’s success. Laravel was invented with the same ideology. Creators of Laravel technology said that “We want to simplify the development process”. The latest released version of Laravel is Laravel 5.4 enforces the same ideology with new features. Being a PHP based framework, Laravel’s pre-defined templates make development quicker and reduce the time to market for Mobile App Development.
Whether it’s android app development, iOS development or web-based app development, the Laravel framework can form a great base. The simplified development process lets you focus on the features part and keep checking your app against the users’ expectations.
Reasons to choose Laravel Backend Framework
The Laravel back-end development framework currently has around 63.5k Github stars which provides testimony to the fact that Laravel is quite popular among developers. Laravel provides pre-defined architecture and customised back-end logic, making it stand out among other frameworks. So, let’s go through the popular benefits which make Laravel the right back-end framework for Mobile App Development.
* Provides Size Flexibility
From Laravel mobile app development to web app development options, it provides great flexibility regarding the size of the app. Laravel gets this feature from PHP which makes it suitable for both complex applications and simple SPAs. With the assistance of advanced caching methods, Laravel built applications can easily be scaled up and down as per the needs of the business.
* Provides Flexibility in Unit Testing
The Laravel PHP development Framework provides two types of testing options for the app i.e. unit testing and feature testing. Unit testing allows you to test elements like class models and controllers making it easier to detect bugs and problems in the code. This in turn makes the development process more agile and contributes to cost reduction. Also if the program requires changes in the future it facilitates those changes and helps in better integration of newer elements. Isn’t this a very big help for developers? Obviously, it is.
* Documentation is Clear and Detailed
A great implementation requires that you have maximum knowledge in regards to working on the framework. Due to its popularity, Laravel holds a great stack of documentation for reference. In addition to the official documentation, a developer can find a great deal of content on Laravel PHP framework on popular developer forums like Github. Further, there are also regular updates to this documentation to keep the user up to date with the new changes and additions.
* Extensive and Talented Developer Base
Choosing a backend framework for development also requires that there should be a significant developer base available. This gives you more choice when hiring new developers whether for mobile or web app development. However, it is important to note that when looking to hire a Laravel developer, the focus should be more on quality and skills rather than cost-cutting. Laravel itself offers a dedicated platform where people hire Laravel developers. Hiring a Laravel developer can cost anywhere between $15 to $30 per hour. Although these figures may vary depending upon the location and experience needed of the developers.
* Dedicated Templating Engine – Blade
The problem with most other PHP Framework development options is that they don’t allow using plain PHP code in your views. But Laravel on the other hand provides a dedicated templating engine named Blade that provides the views in plain PHP code. All the blade views also get cached until they are not modified by the user. Template inheritance and sections are the two biggest advantages that come with a blade. This helps in providing a clean syntax for the code as well as mixing plain PHP and blade.
* Restful Routing
The Rest API uses the CRUD model which makes it easier for both beginners and experienced developers to work with. It makes the declaration of routes in the web page much easier and as a result, around 83 per cent of APIs use Rest for routing. The Rest API also helps in solving the server security, scalability and portability issues for the developer.
* Robust ORM
The Eloquent ORM in Laravel is a strong point of advantage for the framework as it makes the development process more efficient through the object-oriented approach. It saves the developer from writing plain SQL queries for the program. Also, the ORM provides the option to the user to define the relationship in the model class itself. It works well with SQL, MySQL, Postgres and SQLite. Further, with smooth ActiveRecord implementation, the work with the database becomes much easier.
* Real-Time Facades
With the help of the Laravel app development Framework, the developers can change a class to a facade on demand to remove unwanted code. These Facades become static proxies when needed by the user and assist in forming a memorable syntax further facilitating better testing and flexibility. This can be used by prefixing “Facades” to the namespace of any application class while importing to use it as Laravel Facade in real-time.
* Laravel Dusk
Solving the application testing problems developers faced with out of box tools provided by Laravel. Hence the framework was integrated with Laravel Dusk that allowed the developers to test the Javascript components in their Laravel apps without any disruptions. The feature does not require setting up selenium and allows the developer to perform the page interaction tests for the web applications. A great advantage of Laravel Dusk is that it makes automated browser tests possible and displays results as the tests run.
Use Cases of Laravel Framework Development
Due to its adaptability factor, Laravel is strongly preferred by developers for both mobile and web applications. From the initial development to the deployment stage, the tools provided with the framework act as great facilitators. Here we mention some of the most popular use cases for Laravel backend Framework
1. CMS Systems
As the development technologies get more sophisticated, the dependence of businesses on applications for various functionalities has increased. The growing demand for customer management systems is one such case. The Laravel framework is highly preferred for CMS systems as it provides great customisation options and scalability features to the user.
2. E-learning Web Applications
With the growing concerns of the COVID 19, the e-learning industry has taken a great boost. Laravel provides the option to developers to add interactivity within the application while keeping it lighter. There are a bunch of popular learning platforms currently that use Laravel as their bac-kend framework.
3. Online Discussion Forums
Due to its strong ORM, the Laravel framework becomes most suitable for applications requiring constant connectivity. With its smart data protocols, the application can handle a heavy load of data and high user traffic without compromising its functionality. Also, the efficient data management system helps users exchange data on the platform without any hassle.
4. On-Demand Streaming Apps
It is no doubt that the next generation of media entertainment is on-demand streaming apps. Anyone who is looking to build an application providing on-demand streamable content can prefer the Laravael framework for the backend. There is a great choice for additional tools available in Laravel to assist in streaming content and keeping constant connectivity.
5. Blogging Platform
Creating a blogging platform with a PHP framework like Laravel can be the most rewarding endeavour. This is due to the availability of great routing functionality provided by the framework. Additionally, it is also suitable for future updates as the size of users and data on the platform increases.
Popular Apps Using Laravel Backend for App Development
The number of live websites that use Laravel currently stands at 6,48,115 and is constantly growing as we speak. There are a significant number of programs built using the Laravel framework that has caught public attention, here are some of them.
1. Barchart
This is a popular financial data portal that provides instant data relating to the stock markets, currency markets and commodity markets. Its backend framework makes sure that the application remains constantly updated with a fresh set of data.
2. Koel
As mentioned earlier, Laravel also works great for media streaming platforms. The success of Koel is great evidence of that. Koel is a web-based personalised music streaming application that uses Vue on the client-side and Laravel on the server-side.
3. Invoice Ninja
To make the tracking of payments, expenses and time billable expenses easier, the invoice ninja automates this complete process. Built with Laravel as its backend framework, the application becomes a great assistant for small businesses.
4. Studio Stomp
Based in the Netherlands, the Studio Stomp company offers website development services to clients worldwide. They have used Laravel for their own website and also prefer it for their clients. With its great flexibility regarding scalability and deployment, it becomes a great option.
5. Neighbourhood Lender
Offering home loan services to its users, Neighborhood Lender provides various tools to its users to reduce their loan burden. This includes their smart mortgage calculator which can help in getting better deals. Its backend framework makes it possible to handle a large amount of data and user traffic without any problem.
Though Laravel is a great technology, it also requires skilled professionals to create something spectacular out of it. Hence the Laravel development services need to be availed from experienced organisations.
Maven Cluster is a leading Laravel development company in India comprising top industry experts. We are trusted by clients from all over the globe with our excellent development services. Get a free consultation with our Laravel development expert for your web and mobile application development needs.