The Laravel PHP framework is the go-to for web development solutions. It is fast, free, and flexible. It also makes web and mobile app development processes quicker and more enjoyable. Companies that use Laravel typically choose it for its easy-to-use features and unique ability to simplify complex code.
In this article, we will highlight some of the largest companies that use Laravel, the advantages of using Laravel, and how you can learn Laravel. But first, we must answer the question, what is Laravel?
What Is Laravel?
Laravel is a server-side framework built with the PHP programming language. It contains several development tools that simplify complex coding for web and software development. Laravel is free, open-source, easy-to-use, and extremely robust.
Taylor Otwell designed the Laravel PHP framework in 2011. He built Laravel to have rich features that were lacking among other frameworks. These include an innovative template engine, MVC architecture support, strong application security, robust dependent management, and a better ORM.
Laravel handles a lot of the time-consuming aspects of development, such as templating HTML, routing, and authentication. This makes it user-friendly and easy to maintain. As such, it is relevant to both novice and expert software developers.
What Are the Advantages of Laravel?
- Fast. Laravel has a variety of built-in templates and shortcodes, making development more straightforward. Faster development will also translate to lower costs and higher productivity.
- Secure. Laravel uses the Bcrypt hashing algorithm to secure your website and keep hackers out. It also offers strong authentication and restricted access to ensure your data is always safe.
- Efficient. Laravel has a message queue system that allows you to reschedule specific tasks. This means Laravel applications can handle large traffic volumes at quicker speeds than other frameworks.
- Simple. Laravel’s object-relational mapping makes interaction with databases simple and easy. Developers can modify or update databases by writing PHP code instead of SQL.
- Flexible. Laravel uses the Blade template engine to add zero overhead to its web apps and it does not restrict you from using plain PHP code. It also provides template inheritance and displays data. This adds flexibility to the web development process.
Top Web Applications Built With Laravel
Laravel has become one of the most popular PHP frameworks amongst startups and larger companies worldwide. It is used for both web development and custom software development. As a result, there are a variety of web apps written using Laravel. Continue reading, as we examine the top web applications built with Laravel.
Invoice Ninja
Invoice Ninja is an all-in-one accounting software for small businesses. It helps companies automate their invoicing processes. With its time-tracking and reporting tools, employers can evaluate individual productivity. This tool is becoming more valuable as the number of remote jobs that pay well increases.
Alison
Alison provides small business owners with the tools needed to succeed online. The website contains various materials that teach entrepreneurs to run their online businesses. In addition, the development team constantly adds new courses and webinars for small business owners looking to grow their companies further.
MyRank
MyRank is a web application that allows people to manage their professional reputation online. MyRank integrates with over 50 social media sites to give users an overall view of their online reputation. They can also track their brand name using the keyword tracker tool.
Neighborhood Lender
Neighborhood Lender is an online marketplace that helps people find mortgage options in their neighborhood. It also provides home financing services to those who need loans for homes, office spaces, or vacation houses. They are only available in select cities in the United States.
BarChart
BarChart is an open-source project that has helped hundreds of companies increase their conversion rates and make more money. This project helped develop an internal tool for financial institutions that allows employees to generate easily accessible reports in the form of bar charts.
Largest Companies That Use Laravel: At a Glance
| Company | Revenue | Number of employees |
|---|---|---|
| Pfizer | $47.6 billion (2021) | 78,500 (2021) |
| Liberty Mutual Insurance | $43.796 billion (2020) | 45,000 (2020) |
| BBC | $6.833 billion (2021) | 22,219 (2021) |
| About You | $742 million (20220 | 700 (2020) |
| DISQO | $85 million (2021) | 300 (2021) |
| TourRadar | $52.5 million (2021) | 124 (2021) |
| Magneto IT Solutions | $47 million (2021) | 564 (2021) |
| Unified InfoTech | $14.4 million (2021) | 170 (2021) |
| Crowdcube | $9.84 million (2020) | 143 (2021) |
| 9GAG | $9.8 million (2021) | 40 (2021) |
Biggest Companies Using Laravel: A Closer Look
Pfizer
Pfizer is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Its main job is discovering, developing, and manufacturing biopharmaceutical products such as drugs and vaccines. It connects with customers via its Laravel coded website and mobile application.
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Liberty Mutual Insurance is a well-known insurance company in the United States. Founded in 1912, they offer insurance coverage on automobiles, homes, life, and small businesses. They use the Laravel framework to create innovative web-based mobile applications.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the oldest national broadcasting organization in the United Kingdom. Apart from its traditional broadcast media, it has adopted multiple web applications related to TV and content production. It uses AngularJS, Angular 6, and Laravel for these applications.
About You
About You is a fast-growing ecommerce company based in Germany. It digitalizes the shopping experience and allows users to access over 150,000 products directly from their smartphones. The company’s technology stack page boasts about using state-of-the-art tech to increase productivity.
DISQO
DISQO connects customers with brands to improve their overall relationship and experience. This allows brands to understand their customer base better and be more successful. Laravel is used for the server-side of their website.
TourRadar
TourRadar is a global travel company that provides booking and marketing solutions for tour operators, hotels, and attractions. It has a web platform that helps find and book tours, activities, and attractions worldwide. The software contains a wide range of features and operates on Laravel and Symfony, among other tools.
Magneto IT Solutions
Magneto is a US-based company that provides end-to-end ecommerce solutions. This includes B2B ecommerce solutions, CRM integration, web development services, and more. These services help businesses reach their targets.
Unified InfoTech
Unified Infotech is a software development company that provides IT solutions to small and medium-sized businesses. They offer web development, mobile app development, UI/UX design, machine learning, and CRM systems solutions. Its mission is to provide secure, innovative, and cost-effective solutions.
Crowdcube
Crowdcube is an online crowdfunding platform dedicated to businesses in the United Kingdom. This platform connects enterprises to potential investors and helps entrepreneurs raise money to grow their businesses. A dedicated team of developers maintains this platform using Laravel development alongside other frameworks.
9GAG
9GAG is a community-based website. The primary purpose of 9GAG is to entertain its visitors through humorous content. It allows users to share content like Internet memes and webcomics. The developers at 9GAG use Laravel, Vue.js, and other tools to maintain the website.
Laravel Alternative Comparisons
Aside from Laravel, there are various other frameworks used by PHP developers. Choosing the right framework will depend entirely on the project you are working on, so it is important to familiarize yourself with multiple frameworks. Read on as we discuss some of the top alternatives for Laravel.
Symfony
Symfony comprises a set of reusable PHP libraries. Due to its scalability, it is better suited to more complex projects than other PHP frameworks. Its advanced features and tools allow modification into Java or C#. While it is notably faster and consumes less memory than Laravel, it is harder to learn.
CodeIgniter
The CodeIgniter framework has various tools that assist lightweight PHP developers in building custom web applications. CodeIgniter is a minimalist framework, ideal for simple, scalable websites. While it has a better and faster application performance than Laravel, it is not as robust and is more limited.
CakePHP
CakePHP is another open-source framework. It uses common design patterns like MVC and Associative Data Mapping. It aims to provide a structured framework for PHP developers to develop flexible and functional web-based mobile applications quickly. CakePHP is better suited to smaller projects and it is less technical and object-oriented than Laravel.
What’s the Best Way to Learn Laravel?
The best way to learn Laravel is by completing a Laravel training course. For example, coding bootcamps are an extremely efficient way to learn in-demand skills in a short space of time. Whether you are new to PHP programming or otherwise, this will help you to progress quickly and provide you with plenty of job opportunities in the tech industry.
"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"
Venus, Software Engineer at Rockbot
Another way to learn Laravel is by self-learning. There are plenty of online training resources available. The first step is to master HTML and PHP development. Then, advance to learning the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern and CRUD before learning the fundamentals of Laravel. You should aim to complete as many personal projects as possible.
There are many ways to learn this framework, but you should start with the official documentation. Laravel is constantly being updated, and new features are added regularly so you should check back often. Also, make sure to check out the Laravel YouTube channel for tutorials on the latest features.
Top Laravel Bootcamps
Should You Learn Laravel?
Yes, if you plan on working for larger companies and you want to boost your portfolio, you should learn Laravel. It is an extremely robust framework that is easy to use. Moreover, BuiltWith reports that there are over 700,000 Laravel websites. As that number grows, the demand for Lavarel developers will increase.
However, if you plan on working with smaller-scale platforms, you might find that a microframework is more suitable for your needs. But, even if you don’t plan on using it as your core framework, Laravel is still worth learning. Not only is it one of the most popular frameworks, but with coding bootcamps and online resources, it is easier to learn than ever.
Companies That Use Laravel FAQ
Web apps built on the Laravel development framework typically have improved performance and higher speeds. Laravel also provides several advanced features that support enterprise-level applications software development. Since Laravel is an open-source framework, it is free to use and easy to maintain.
Laravel is an excellent framework for big projects. Development teams often use modular packaging to manage large projects. Also, Laravel’s authentication and security tools simplify the application development process and boost the overall performance of enterprise-level applications.
It takes about six months to learn Laravel development. If you are already a PHP developer, you can learn Laravel within a month or less. However, if you opt for self-learning, it may take longer.
Yes, Laravel is still relevant in 2022. The number of websites using Laravel is increasing. Many web and mobile app developers rely on Laravel to build small and medium-scale websites and web-based mobile apps. It is commonly used for ecommerce development and enterprise-level applications.
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