Upgrading Laravel 11 to Laravel 12: A Step-by-Step Guide

Thinking about upgrading your Laravel 11 application to Laravel 12? You're in the right place! Laravel 12 brings new features, improvements, and optimizations that can enhance your application. While upgrading may seem challenging, following a structured step-by-step process will make it smooth and hassle-free. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to ensure a successful upgrade.

Step 1: Backup Your Project

Before upgrading, it's crucial to back up your project files and database to prevent data loss in case anything goes wrong.

Step 2: Check Your PHP Version

Laravel 12 requires PHP 8.2 or higher.
If your PHP version is lower than 8.2, update it before proceeding.

Step 3: Update composer.json

Open the composer.json file and locate this line:

"require": {
   "laravel/framework": "^11.0"
}

Change it to:

"require": {
    "laravel/framework": "^12.0"
}

Step 4: Update Laravel and Dependencies

Now, run the following command to update Laravel and all dependencies:

composer update

If you face dependency conflicts, try:

composer update --with-dependencies

This process will:
- Upgrade Laravel to 12.x
- Update related dependencies

Step 5: Update Laravel Config Files

Laravel 12 may have changes in configuration files. To check for new config options:

Check Differences in Config Files

Run this command to compare your current files with Laravel 12 defaults:

php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear

If needed, manually update files in config/ by checking the latest Laravel 12 config files from the official Laravel GitHub repository.

Step 6: Run Database Migrations

Run the following command to ensure your database structure is up to date:

php artisan migrate

Step 7: Handle Deprecated Features & Breaking Changes

Laravel 12 removes some old methods. Check your code for any deprecated features by running:

php artisan route:clear
php artisan cache:clear
composer dump-autoload

Step 8: Test the Application

Make sure everything works as expected:

php artisan serve

Visit http://127.0.0.1:8000 and verify your app’s functionality.

If you use PHPUnit or Pest, run:

php artisan test

Fix any errors before moving to production.

Step 9: Deploy Laravel 12 to Production

Once tested, deploy the updated application by:

- Pushing changes to GitHub/GitLab
- Deploying to your server
- Running composer install --no-dev on production
- Clearing cache using below command:

php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan optimize

Final Step: Verify the Laravel Version

Run: php artisan --version
You should see below output:
Laravel Framework 12.x.x

Upgrading from Laravel 11 to Laravel 12: Step-by-Step Guide