Directory Structure and Key Files
Every fresh Laravel installation comes with a predictable, well-organized folder structure. Knowing where things live saves time and makes it far easier to jump into an unfamiliar Laravel codebase, since the layout is consistent across almost every project.
Top-Level Folders
A handful of folders account for the vast majority of day-to-day development work.
| Folder / File | Purpose |
|---|---|
| app/ | Application code: models, controllers, middleware, and providers |
| routes/ | Route definitions, split into files like web.php and api.php |
| resources/ | Blade views, raw CSS/JS, and language files |
| database/ | Migrations, seeders, and model factories |
| config/ | Configuration files for every part of the framework |
| public/ | The web server's entry point, including index.php and compiled assets |
| storage/ | Logs, cached files, and user-uploaded content |
Key Files
.env— stores environment-specific configuration like database credentialscomposer.json— lists PHP dependencies and autoloading rulesartisan— the executable script behind every Artisan commandroutes/web.php— defines routes for standard browser-facing pagespublic/index.php— the single entry point every request passes through
Why the Structure Is Consistent
Laravel enforces this layout by convention rather than leaving it up to each developer to decide. That consistency is part of why Laravel projects are easy to onboard into — a developer moving from one Laravel codebase to another already knows roughly where to look for routes, models, or views.
With the folder layout familiar, it's time to put it to use by actually creating a new Laravel project from scratch.
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