Artisan is Laravel's command-line interface (CLI). It helps developers create application files, inspect routes, manage database migrations, clear caches, and perform many other development tasks.
In this lesson, you will learn commonly used Artisan commands with practical examples.
Artisan is included with a Laravel application.
Its command-line entry point is the
artisan file in your project root.
To run Artisan commands, open a terminal in your Laravel project directory.
cd student-app
php artisanThe command displays the available commands for your installed Laravel application.
Examples of tasks performed with Artisan:
Display the installed Laravel version:
php artisan --versionThis command displays the Laravel framework version used by your application.
List available Artisan commands:
php artisan listYou can also inspect the help for a particular command.
php artisan help make:controllerThe help output describes the command's usage, arguments, and options.
Check the current application's routes:
php artisan route:listThe route list helps you inspect registered routes, their HTTP methods, names, and associated actions.
Controllers organize request-handling logic. Artisan can generate a controller file for you.
Create a basic controller:
php artisan make:controller StudentControllerLaravel creates a controller in:
app/Http/Controllers/StudentController.phpCreate a resource controller:
php artisan make:controller StudentController --resourceA resource controller includes methods commonly used for CRUD operations, such as:
index()
create()
store()
show()
edit()
update()
destroy()These methods provide a starting structure. You must implement the required application logic yourself.
Example controller method:
<?php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;
class StudentController extends Controller
{
public function index()
{
return 'Welcome to Student Management';
}
}Eloquent models represent and work with application data. You can generate a model using Artisan.
php artisan make:model StudentLaravel creates the model at:
app/Models/Student.phpCreate a model with a migration:
php artisan make:model Student -m
The -m option also generates a migration
file for the model's database table.
Create a model with related files:
php artisan make:model Student -mcrThis combines options to create a migration, controller, and resource controller methods with the model. The precise generated files depend on the installed Laravel version and command options.
For beginners, creating the model and migration separately can make each step easier to understand.
Migrations let you manage database schema changes through version-controlled PHP files.
Create a students table migration:
php artisan make:migration create_students_table
Open the generated file in
database/migrations/ and define the
columns inside its up() method.
public function up(): void
{
Schema::create('students', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->id();
$table->string('name');
$table->string('email')->unique();
$table->string('course');
$table->timestamps();
});
}
Make sure the migration file includes the required
Schema and Blueprint imports
generated by Laravel.
Run pending migrations:
php artisan migrateCheck migration status:
php artisan migrate:statusBefore running migrations, configure a working database connection in your application's environment settings. Review migrations before running them against production.
Artisan can start a local development server so you can test your Laravel application in a browser.
php artisan serveThe terminal displays the local address, commonly:
http://127.0.0.1:8000Open the address displayed in your terminal.
Choose a different port:
php artisan serve --port=8080If the port is available, you can then access the application at:
http://127.0.0.1:8080Use this development server locally. For production, use a properly configured production web server and PHP runtime.
Laravel provides commands for clearing cached configuration, routes, views, and application data.
Clear the application cache:
php artisan cache:clearClear the configuration cache:
php artisan config:clearClear the route cache:
php artisan route:clearClear compiled Blade views:
php artisan view:clearClear common optimization caches:
php artisan optimize:clearUse these commands when troubleshooting stale cached settings or routes. On production servers, understand the deployment process before clearing or rebuilding caches.
Here are additional commands you may use regularly:
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
php artisan make:model Course |
Create a model. |
php artisan make:middleware CheckRole |
Create middleware. |
php artisan make:seeder StudentSeeder |
Create a database seeder. |
php artisan make:factory StudentFactory |
Create a model factory. |
php artisan make:request StoreStudentRequest |
Create a form request class. |
php artisan make:job SendStudentEmail |
Create a job class. |
php artisan make:command ReportStudents |
Create a custom Artisan command. |
php artisan test |
Run the application's automated tests. |
Some commands or generated structures can vary by
Laravel version. Use php artisan list
to check the commands available in your installation.
Complete these exercises inside your Laravel project.
StudentController.Student.create_students_table.Practice commands:
php artisan --version
php artisan list
php artisan make:controller StudentController
php artisan make:model Student
php artisan make:migration create_students_table
php artisan route:list
php artisan serveIn the next lesson, you will learn how to define Laravel routes and connect URLs to application logic.
1. Which command displays registered Laravel routes?
2. Which command creates a Laravel controller?
3. Which command runs pending database migrations?