\n| SQLite<\/td>\n | 3.35+<\/td>\n | 3.35+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n The only infrastructure change:<\/strong> PHP 8.3 is now the minimum. If your server runs PHP 8.2, upgrade PHP before upgrading Laravel. Everything else is application-level and non-breaking.<\/p>\nSupport Timeline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n| Version<\/th>\n | Release<\/th>\n | Bug Fixes Until<\/th>\n | Security Fixes Until<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n | \n\n| Laravel 11<\/td>\n | Mar 12, 2024<\/td>\n | Sep 3, 2025<\/td>\n | Mar 12, 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Laravel 12<\/td>\n | Feb 24, 2025<\/td>\n | Aug 13, 2026<\/td>\n | Feb 24, 2027<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \nLaravel 13<\/strong><\/td>\nMar 17, 2026<\/strong><\/td>\nQ3 2027<\/strong><\/td>\n| Q1 2028<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Laravel 12 is fully supported until February 2027 \u2014 no emergency to upgrade. For new projects, start on Laravel 13 today.<\/p>\n Feature 1 \u2014 PHP Attributes for Everything<\/h2>\nThe biggest quality-of-life improvement in Laravel 13. PHP 8 Attributes are now an alternative to class properties for configuring Laravel components. This is a non-breaking change \u2014 existing property-based configuration continues to work.<\/p>\n Eloquent Models<\/h3>\nBefore (Laravel 12):<\/p>\n <?php\r\n\r\nnamespace App\\Models;\r\n\r\nuse Illuminate\\Database\\Eloquent\\Model;\r\n\r\nclass User extends Model\r\n{\r\n protected $table = 'users';\r\n protected $primaryKey = 'user_id';\r\n protected $keyType = 'string';\r\n public $incrementing = false;\r\n\r\n protected $hidden = ['password', 'remember_token'];\r\n\r\n protected $fillable = [\r\n 'name',\r\n 'email',\r\n 'phone',\r\n 'company_id',\r\n ];\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\nAfter (Laravel 13):<\/p>\n <?php\r\n\r\nnamespace App\\Models;\r\n\r\nuse Illuminate\\Database\\Eloquent\\Attributes\\Table;\r\nuse Illuminate\\Database\\Eloquent\\Attributes\\Hidden;\r\nuse Illuminate\\Database\\Eloquent\\Attributes\\Fillable;\r\nuse Illuminate\\Database\\Eloquent\\Model;\r\n\r\n#[Table('users', key: 'user_id', keyType: 'string', incrementing: false)]\r\n#[Hidden(['password', 'remember_token'])]\r\n#[Fillable(['name', 'email', 'phone', 'company_id'])]\r\nclass User extends Model\r\n{\r\n \/\/ Clean \u2014 no property clutter\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\nAll available model attributes:<\/p>\n #[Appends(['full_name', 'avatar_url'])]\r\n#[Connection('mysql_readonly')]\r\n#[Fillable(['name', 'email'])]\r\n#[Guarded(['id', 'created_at'])]\r\n#[Hidden(['password'])]\r\n#[Table('users', key: 'user_id')]\r\n#[Touches(['profile', 'posts'])]\r\n#[Unguarded]\r\n#[Visible(['name', 'email'])]<\/code><\/pre>\nQueue Jobs<\/h3>\nBefore (Laravel 12):<\/p>\n class ProcessPodcast implements ShouldQueue\r\n{\r\n public $connection = 'redis';\r\n public $queue = 'podcasts';\r\n public $tries = 3;\r\n public $timeout = 120;\r\n public $backoff = [1, 5, 10];\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\nAfter (Laravel 13):<\/p>\n use Illuminate\\Queue\\Attributes\\Connection;\r\nuse Illuminate\\Queue\\Attributes\\Queue;\r\nuse Illuminate\\Queue\\Attributes\\Tries;\r\nuse Illuminate\\Queue\\Attributes\\Timeout;\r\nuse Illuminate\\Queue\\Attributes\\Backoff;\r\n\r\n#[Connection('redis')]\r\n#[Queue('podcasts')]\r\n#[Tries(3)]\r\n#[Timeout(120)]\r\n#[Backoff([1, 5, 10])]\r\nclass ProcessPodcast implements ShouldQueue\r\n{\r\n \/\/ No property clutter\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\nAll available queue attributes:<\/p>\n #[Backoff([1, 5, 10])]\r\n#[Connection('redis')]\r\n#[FailOnTimeout]\r\n#[MaxExceptions(3)]\r\n#[Queue('podcasts')]\r\n#[Timeout(120)]\r\n#[Tries(3)]\r\n#[UniqueFor(3600)]<\/code><\/pre>\nConsole Commands<\/h3>\nBefore (Laravel 12):<\/p>\n class SendMailCommand extends Command\r\n{\r\n protected $signature = 'mail:send {user} {--queue}';\r\n protected $description = 'Send a marketing email to a user';\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\nAfter (Laravel 13):<\/p>\n use Illuminate\\Console\\Attributes\\Signature;\r\nuse Illuminate\\Console\\Attributes\\Description;\r\n\r\n#[Signature('mail:send {user} {--queue}')]\r\n#[Description('Send a marketing email to a user')]\r\nclass SendMailCommand extends Command\r\n{\r\n \/\/ Signature and description live at the top, not buried in properties\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\nForm Requests<\/h3>\n#[RedirectTo('\/dashboard')]\r\n#[StopOnFirstFailure]\r\nclass CreateOrderRequest extends FormRequest\r\n{\r\n public function rules(): array\r\n {\r\n return [\r\n 'product_id' => 'required|exists:products,id',\r\n 'quantity' => 'required|integer|min:1',\r\n ];\r\n }\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\nAPI Resources<\/h3>\n#[Collects(OrderResource::class)]\r\n#[PreserveKeys]\r\nclass OrderCollection extends ResourceCollection {}\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\nAttributes also work on Listeners, Notifications, Mailables, Broadcast Events, Factories, and Test Seeders \u2014 the full framework is covered.<\/p>\n Feature 2 \u2014 Cache::touch()<\/h2>\nA small but frequently needed feature. The new Cache::touch()<\/code> method extends a cached item’s TTL without fetching or re-storing the value.<\/p>\nBefore (Laravel 12 \u2014 required a get + put):<\/p>\n \/\/ Old way \u2014 fetches the value unnecessarily\r\n$value = Cache::get('user_session:123');\r\nif ($value !== null) {\r\n Cache::put('user_session:123', $value, 3600); \/\/ Re-stores unnecessarily\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\nAfter (Laravel 13):<\/p>\n \/\/ Just extend the TTL \u2014 no get, no re-store\r\nCache::touch('user_session:123', 3600);\r\n\r\n\/\/ With a DateTime\r\nCache::touch('analytics_data', now()->addHours(6));\r\n\r\n\/\/ Extend indefinitely (remove expiry)\r\nCache::touch('permanent_cache', null);\r\n\r\n\/\/ Returns true if key exists, false if not\r\n$extended = Cache::touch('user_session:123', 3600);\r\nif (!$extended) {\r\n \/\/ Key expired before we could touch it \u2014 re-create it\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\nThis is implemented across all cache drivers: Array, APC, Database, DynamoDB, File, Memcached, Memoized, Null, and Redis. Redis uses a single EXPIRE command, Memcached uses TOUCH, and the database driver issues a single UPDATE.<\/p>\n Perfect for session extension, sliding cache windows, and keeping computed results alive while they’re being used.<\/p>\n Feature 3 \u2014 Laravel AI SDK (Stable)<\/h2>\nThe headline feature in the release notes is the new Laravel AI SDK. Previously in beta, it went production-stable with Laravel 13.<\/p>\n The AI SDK gives Laravel a first-party, provider-agnostic way to integrate AI \u2014 supporting Claude (Anthropic), OpenAI, and Gemini from a single unified API:<\/p>\n composer require laravel\/ai<\/code><\/pre>\n\/\/ config\/ai.php\r\nreturn [\r\n 'default' => env('AI_PROVIDER', 'anthropic'),\r\n\r\n 'providers' => [\r\n 'anthropic' => [\r\n 'api_key' => env('ANTHROPIC_API_KEY'),\r\n 'model' => env('ANTHROPIC_MODEL', 'claude-sonnet-4-5'),\r\n ],\r\n 'openai' => [\r\n 'api_key' => env('OPENAI_API_KEY'),\r\n 'model' => env('OPENAI_MODEL', 'gpt-4o'),\r\n ],\r\n ],\r\n];<\/code><\/pre>\nuse Laravel\\AI\\Facades\\AI;\r\n\r\n\/\/ Simple completion\r\n$response = AI::complete('Summarize this text: ' . $text);\r\n\r\n\/\/ Chat with history\r\n$response = AI::chat([\r\n ['role' => 'system', 'content' => 'You are a helpful assistant.'],\r\n ['role' => 'user', 'content' => 'What is Laravel?'],\r\n]);\r\n\r\n\/\/ Stream response\r\nAI::stream('Write a product description for: ' . $product->name,\r\n function (string $chunk) {\r\n echo $chunk;\r\n }\r\n);\r\n\r\n\/\/ Switch provider on the fly\r\nAI::provider('openai')->complete('Hello');\r\nAI::provider('anthropic')->complete('Hello');<\/code><\/pre>\nThe SDK handles token counting, retry logic, streaming, and provider switching \u2014 without locking you to a specific AI company’s SDK.<\/p>\n Feature 4 \u2014 Passkey Authentication<\/h2>\nLaravel 13 ships with first-party Passkey support \u2014 the WebAuthn-based authentication standard that replaces passwords with device biometrics (Face ID, fingerprint, Windows Hello).<\/p>\n composer require laravel\/passkeys<\/code><\/pre>\nphp artisan passkeys:install<\/code><\/pre>\n\/\/ Register a passkey\r\nuse Laravel\\Passkeys\\Facades\\Passkeys;\r\n\r\n\/\/ In your registration controller\r\npublic function startRegistration(Request $request)\r\n{\r\n $options = Passkeys::generateRegistrationOptions($request->user());\r\n return response()->json($options);\r\n}\r\n\r\npublic function finishRegistration(Request $request)\r\n{\r\n $passkey = Passkeys::verifyRegistration(\r\n $request->user(),\r\n $request->all()\r\n );\r\n\r\n return response()->json(['passkey_id' => $passkey->id]);\r\n}\r\n\r\n\/\/ Authenticate with passkey\r\npublic function startAuthentication(Request $request)\r\n{\r\n $options = Passkeys::generateAuthenticationOptions();\r\n return response()->json($options);\r\n}\r\n\r\npublic function finishAuthentication(Request $request)\r\n{\r\n $user = Passkeys::verifyAuthentication($request->all());\r\n Auth::login($user);\r\n\r\n return redirect('\/dashboard');\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\nFrontend integration uses the WebAuthn browser API \u2014 compatible with all modern browsers and devices with biometric sensors. No passwords stored, no password reset flows, no phishing risk.<\/p>\n Feature 5 \u2014 Queue::route()<\/h2>\nThe new Queue::route()<\/code> method lets you define which queue and connection each job class uses from a single location in a service provider. Previously, teams either set queue properties on each job class or repeated the configuration at every dispatch site.<\/p>\n\/\/ Before \u2014 repeated at every dispatch\r\nProcessPodcast::dispatch($podcast)->onQueue('podcasts')->onConnection('redis');\r\nSendWelcomeEmail::dispatch($user)->onQueue('emails')->onConnection('sqs');\r\nGenerateReport::dispatch($report)->onQueue('reports')->onConnection('redis');\r\n\r\n\/\/ After \u2014 define once in AppServiceProvider\r\nuse Illuminate\\Support\\Facades\\Queue;\r\n\r\nQueue::route([\r\n ProcessPodcast::class => 'redis:podcasts',\r\n SendWelcomeEmail::class => 'sqs:emails',\r\n GenerateReport::class => 'redis:reports',\r\n]);\r\n\r\n\/\/ Now just dispatch \u2014 routing is automatic\r\nProcessPodcast::dispatch($podcast);\r\nSendWelcomeEmail::dispatch($user);\r\nGenerateReport::dispatch($report);<\/code><\/pre>\nCombined with the new PHP Attributes for queue configuration, this is the cleanest queue setup Laravel has ever had.<\/p>\n Feature 6 \u2014 JSON:API Support<\/h2>\nLaravel 13 includes first-party support for the JSON:API specification. The new resource classes handle response object serialization, relationship inclusion, sparse fieldsets, links and compliant response headers automatically.<\/p>\n php artisan make:json-api-resource PostResource<\/code><\/pre>\nuse Illuminate\\Http\\Resources\\Json\\JsonApiResource;\r\n\r\nclass PostResource extends JsonApiResource\r\n{\r\n public function toAttributes(Request $request): array\r\n {\r\n return [\r\n 'title' => $this->title,\r\n 'content' => $this->content,\r\n 'published' => $this->published_at?->toISOString(),\r\n ];\r\n }\r\n\r\n public function toRelationships(Request $request): array\r\n {\r\n return [\r\n 'author' => AuthorResource::make($this->author),\r\n 'comments' => CommentResource::collection($this->comments),\r\n ];\r\n }\r\n\r\n public function toLinks(Request $request): array\r\n {\r\n return [\r\n 'self' => route('posts.show', $this->id),\r\n ];\r\n }\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\nResponse automatically follows JSON:API spec:<\/p>\n {\r\n \"data\": {\r\n \"type\": \"posts\",\r\n \"id\": \"1\",\r\n \"attributes\": {\r\n \"title\": \"Laravel 13 Released\",\r\n \"content\": \"...\",\r\n \"published\": \"2026-03-17T09:00:00Z\"\r\n },\r\n \"relationships\": {\r\n \"author\": {\r\n \"data\": { \"type\": \"users\", \"id\": \"42\" }\r\n }\r\n },\r\n \"links\": {\r\n \"self\": \"https:\/\/api.example.com\/posts\/1\"\r\n }\r\n }\r\n}<\/code><\/pre>\nFeature 7 \u2014 Typed Configuration<\/h2>\nNo more guessing whether a config value is a string, boolean, or integer:<\/p>\n \/\/ Before \u2014 could return string \"true\" or boolean true depending on env\r\n$debug = config('app.debug'); \/\/ What type is this?\r\n\r\n\/\/ Laravel 13 \u2014 typed retrieval\r\n$debug = config()->boolean('app.debug'); \/\/ Always bool\r\n$port = config()->integer('database.port'); \/\/ Always int\r\n$name = config()->string('app.name'); \/\/ Always string\r\n$hosts = config()->array('cache.stores'); \/\/ Always array\r\n\r\n\/\/ Throws ConfigTypeMismatchException if type doesn't match\r\n\/\/ Catches a whole class of bugs at boot time<\/code><\/pre>\nFeature 8 \u2014 Middleware Simplification<\/h2>\nLaravel 13 simplifies the middleware stack. The app\/Http\/Kernel.php<\/code> file is gone (deprecated since Laravel 11, now removed). All middleware configuration lives in bootstrap\/app.php<\/code>.<\/p>\n\/\/ bootstrap\/app.php \u2014 everything in one place\r\nreturn Application::configure(basePath: dirname(__DIR__))\r\n ->withRouting(\r\n web: __DIR__.'\/..\/routes\/web.php',\r\n api: __DIR__.'\/..\/routes\/api.php',\r\n )\r\n ->withMiddleware(function (Middleware $middleware) {\r\n \/\/ Global middleware\r\n $middleware->append(ForceHttps::class);\r\n\r\n \/\/ Route group middleware\r\n $middleware->api(append: [\r\n EnsureApiToken::class,\r\n ]);\r\n\r\n \/\/ Middleware aliases\r\n $middleware->alias([\r\n 'verified' => EnsureEmailIsVerified::class,\r\n ]);\r\n })\r\n ->create();<\/code><\/pre>\nFeature 9 \u2014 Reverb Database Driver<\/h2>\nLaravel Reverb (the WebSocket server) now includes a database driver \u2014 meaning you can run real-time WebSockets without Redis for smaller applications:<\/p>\n # .env \u2014 use database instead of Redis for WebSocket state\r\nREVERB_DRIVER=database\r\n\r\n# No Redis required for:\r\n# - Channel presence tracking\r\n# - Connection state\r\n# - Message queuing (small scale)<\/code><\/pre>\nFor production at scale, Redis remains the recommended driver. The database driver is ideal for development environments and small-scale deployments where Redis is overkill.<\/p>\n Feature 10 \u2014 route:conflicts Command<\/h2>\nThe route:conflicts<\/code> command detects overlapping routes \u2014 a common source of hard-to-debug bugs:<\/p>\nphp artisan route:conflicts<\/code><\/pre>\n+-------------------+--------+---------------------------+\r\n| URI | Method | Conflict |\r\n+-------------------+--------+---------------------------+\r\n| \/users\/{id} | GET | Overlaps with \/users\/new |\r\n| \/products\/{slug} | GET | Overlaps with \/products\/1 |\r\n+-------------------+--------+---------------------------+<\/code><\/pre>\nPHP 8.3 \u2014 What You Actually Gain<\/h2>\nUpgrading to PHP 8.3 for Laravel 13 isn’t just a requirement \u2014 it brings real improvements:<\/p>\n \/\/ Typed class constants (PHP 8.3)\r\nclass Status\r\n{\r\n const string ACTIVE = 'active';\r\n const string INACTIVE = 'inactive';\r\n const int MAX_RETRY = 3;\r\n}\r\n\r\n\/\/ json_validate() \u2014 no more json_decode() just to check validity\r\n$valid = json_validate($jsonString); \/\/ true or false, no decode needed\r\n\r\n\/\/ Readonly property improvements\r\nclass Order\r\n{\r\n public function __construct(\r\n public readonly string $id,\r\n public readonly float $total,\r\n ) {}\r\n}\r\n\r\n\/\/ Dynamic class constant fetch\r\n$constant = Status::{$name}; \/\/ Valid in PHP 8.3<\/code><\/pre>\nLaravel 12 vs Laravel 13 \u2014 Side by Side<\/h2>\n\n\n\n| Feature<\/th>\n | Laravel 12<\/th>\n | Laravel 13<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n | \n\n| PHP minimum<\/td>\n | 8.2<\/td>\n | 8.3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Model configuration<\/td>\n | Class properties<\/td>\n | PHP Attributes (optional)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Job configuration<\/td>\n | Class properties<\/td>\n | PHP Attributes (optional)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Command signature<\/td>\n | Class property<\/td>\n | PHP Attribute (optional)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Cache TTL extension<\/td>\n | get + put<\/td>\n | Cache::touch()<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| AI integration<\/td>\n | Third-party packages<\/td>\n | First-party Laravel AI SDK<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Passkeys<\/td>\n | Third-party only<\/td>\n | First-party support<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Queue routing<\/td>\n | Per-dispatch<\/td>\n | Queue::route() central config<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| JSON:API<\/td>\n | Third-party<\/td>\n | First-party resources<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Config types<\/td>\n | Untyped<\/td>\n | Typed retrieval<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Middleware config<\/td>\n | Kernel.php (legacy)<\/td>\n | bootstrap\/app.php only<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| WebSockets (Reverb)<\/td>\n | Redis only<\/td>\n | Redis + Database driver<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Route conflicts<\/td>\n | Manual detection<\/td>\n | route:conflicts command<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nHow to Upgrade from Laravel 12 to Laravel 13<\/h2>\nMost applications upgrade in under 10 minutes. Here’s the process:<\/p>\n |
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