Directory structure

Learn what each major directory and file in a Laravel project is for.

Introduction

Laravel’s default application structure provides a solid starting point for both large and small applications. However, you’re free to organize your application any way you like. Laravel imposes almost no restrictions on where any given class is located—as long as Composer can autoload it, you’re good.

The root directory

When you create a new Laravel project, the following directory structure is generated:

example-app/
├── app/
├── bootstrap/
├── config/
├── database/
├── public/
├── resources/
├── routes/
├── storage/
├── tests/
├── vendor/
├── .env
├── artisan
└── composer.json

The app/ directory

This directory holds the core code of your application. Almost every class in your application—controllers, models, middleware—lives here.

By default, it contains the Http, Models, and Providers subdirectories. When you generate classes via Artisan commands, other subdirectories are created automatically.

The bootstrap/ directory

Contains the app.php file that boots the framework. It also includes a cache/ directory that stores performance-optimization files such as the route and services caches.

The config/ directory

Contains all of your application’s configuration files. It’s a great idea to read through these files and familiarize yourself with all of the options available to you.

The database/ directory

Contains database migrations, model factories, and seeders. You can also place your SQLite database file here.

The public/ directory

Contains the index.php file, which is the entry point for all requests to your application. It also holds assets such as images, JavaScript, and CSS.

Set your web server’s document root to your Laravel project’s public/ directory. Exposing your project root or a subdirectory directly risks leaking sensitive files.

The resources/ directory

Contains your views, as well as raw, un-compiled assets such as CSS or JavaScript.

The routes/ directory

Contains all of your application’s route definitions. By default, two route files are included: web.php and console.php.

File	Purpose
web.php	Browser-facing routes. The web middleware group is applied, which provides session, CSRF protection, and cookie encryption.
console.php	A file for defining Artisan commands as closures.
api.php	Stateless API routes. Added via the install:api command.
channels.php	A file for registering event broadcasting channels.

The storage/ directory

Contains framework-generated files such as logs, compiled Blade templates, file-based sessions, and file caches. It is divided into three subdirectories: app/, framework/, and logs/.

The tests/ directory

Contains your automated tests. Sample unit and feature tests using Pest or PHPUnit are included out of the box.

The vendor/ directory

Contains your Composer dependencies. This directory should not be committed to source control.

The app/ directory in detail

Many of the classes in the app directory can be generated via Artisan commands. To review the available commands, run:

php artisan list make

Http/ directory

Contains controllers, middleware, and form requests. Nearly all of the logic for handling requests entering your application lives here.

Models/ directory

Contains all Eloquent model classes. A “model” corresponds to each database table and is used to query and insert data.

Providers/ directory

Contains all of your application’s service providers. Service providers bind services into the container, register events, and perform the tasks needed to boot your application.

Console/ directory

Contains all of your custom Artisan commands. You can generate them with the make:command command.

Exceptions/ directory

Contains all of your application’s custom exceptions. You can generate them with the make:exception command.

Important files

The .env file

Manages configuration values that differ per environment (database credentials, API keys, and so on). The env() helper is used from configuration files in config/ to reference them.

APP_NAME=Laravel
APP_ENV=local
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_URL=http://localhost

DB_CONNECTION=sqlite

The artisan file

The entry point for the Artisan command-line interface. Run commands with php artisan <command name>.

Next steps

Routing

Learn how to define routes and connect URLs to your application logic.