What to know before hiring Laravel Developers

Laravel is one of the most popular PHP frameworks, known for its elegant syntax, ease of use, and robust toolkit for building modern web applications. Whether you’re developing a custom web application, API, or e-commerce platform, hiring the right Laravel Developer is critical to your project’s success.

Here’s what you need to know to hire Laravel Developers for your team.

What does a Laravel Developer do? 

A Laravel Developer specializes in building web applications using the Laravel framework, which is built on PHP. Their primary responsibilities include:

• Designing and developing web applications using the Laravel framework.
• Building and maintaining database systems using tools like Eloquent ORM.
• Creating APIs for front-end and back-end communication.
• Integrating third-party services and tools, such as payment gateways, cloud storage, or external APIs.
• Writing clean, scalable, and maintainable code with a focus on best practices and optimization.
• Implementing security features such as authentication, authorization, and data protection.
• Troubleshooting, debugging, and improving performance to ensure a high-quality user experience.

A Laravel Developer often works closely with front-end developers, project managers, and designers to build feature-rich, dynamic applications.

How to hire Laravel Developers: a quick guide 

Define your requirements 

Having a detailed understanding of your requirements will help you find a Laravel Developer with the right skills and experience. Consider the following:

• Project size: Are you building a small web application, an e-commerce platform, or a large-scale enterprise solution?
• Functionality needs: Will the application require features like user authentication, payment processing, data management, or integrations with third-party services?
• Duration and commitment: Is this a short-term project, or will the developer be responsible for ongoing maintenance and updates?
• Front-end integration: Do you need the developer to have experience integrating Laravel with front-end technologies such as Vue.js, React, or Angular?
• Hosting and deployment: Are you using a specific hosting platform or cloud service such as AWS or DigitalOcean, and do you need the developer to manage deployment?

Defining these requirements will help you find a Laravel Developer who can meet the specific needs of your project.

Where to find Laravel Developers 

There are several platforms where you can hire top-tier Laravel Developers. Job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, Jobshark, and Glassdoor are excellent starting points. Additionally, platforms like Toptal, Jobshark, Upwork, and Fiverr offer access to freelance Laravel Developers.

Laravel-specific communities such as Laravel.io, Laracasts, and the Laravel subreddit are excellent places to find developers who are active in the Laravel ecosystem. Browsing repositories on GitHub or interacting with developers on Stack Overflow can help you find skilled Laravel Developers who contribute to open-source projects and demonstrate their expertise. Attending PHP and Laravel conferences (like Laracon and Laravel Live) and meetups can also help you find talent actively working in the ecosystem.

For quicker hiring, partnering with tech sourcing companies, like Jobshark, can help streamline the process.

Assess technical skills 

When hiring a Laravel Developer, it’s critical to evaluate their technical skills to ensure they can handle the complexities of your project. Key technical skills to look for include:

• Strong PHP Knowledge: Laravel is built on PHP, so a deep understanding of core PHP concepts, object-oriented programming, and design patterns is essential.
• Proficiency with Laravel features: Developers should be experienced in using Laravel’s core features, such as Eloquent ORM, Blade templating engine, routing, and middleware.
• Experience with databases: Laravel Developers should be proficient in working with MySQL or other relational databases. They should also understand database design, query optimization, and working with migrations.
• API development: Many Laravel projects require building RESTful APIs. The developer should be able to create and consume APIs, ensuring smooth integration with front-end applications or mobile apps.
• Version control: Experience using Git for version control is essential for managing code, especially in collaborative environments.
• Testing and debugging: Developers should be familiar with PHPUnit and other testing tools to write unit tests and ensure the reliability and maintainability of their code.

Requesting portfolios, code samples, or conducting technical assessments can help you evaluate these skills before making a hiring decision. You can use platforms like DevSkiller, Codility, HackerRank, or LeetCode to assess technical skills.

Evaluate soft skills and cultural fit 

While technical skills are crucial, evaluating the soft skills and cultural fit of potential Laravel Developers is no less important. Some key aspects to consider include:

• Communication: Effective communication is essential, especially when the developer needs to explain technical details to non-technical stakeholders or collaborate with other team members.
• Problem-solving ability: Look for developers with strong problem-solving skills who can troubleshoot issues, find efficient solutions, and optimize performance.
• Adaptability: A good Laravel Developer should be open to learning new technologies, tools, and frameworks as the web development landscape evolves.
• Team collaboration: Ensure the developer can work well within your team, especially if you follow Agile or Scrum methodologies.
• Cultural fit: Cultural alignment with your company’s values and work style is vital for fostering a positive working relationship, especially in long-term projects.

A brief history of Laravel

Laravel is relatively new compared to other PHP frameworks but has quickly become the go-to choice for modern web development. Here’s a brief look at its evolution:

• 2011: Laravel was created by Taylor Otwell as a more elegant and developer-friendly alternative to existing PHP frameworks like CodeIgniter and Symfony.
• 2013: The release of Laravel 4 introduced Composer-based architecture, bringing modern PHP package management to the framework.
• 2015: Laravel 5 saw the introduction of features like form requests, middleware, and the Laravel Scheduler, cementing its position as a top-tier PHP framework.
• 2017: Laravel 5.5 was released as the first version to offer long-term support (LTS), making it ideal for enterprise-level applications.
• Today: Laravel continues to be one of the most popular PHP frameworks due to its elegant syntax, extensive documentation, and robust ecosystem, powering a wide range of applications worldwide.

Core features

Blade Template Engine and Eloquent ORM are two of Laravel’s core features significantly enhancing the development experience.

The Blade Template Engine is a lightweight, powerful templating engine that allows developers to seamlessly integrate PHP into HTML using simple, readable syntax. It offers features like template inheritance, sections, and components, making it easy to create dynamic, reusable layouts and views.

On the other hand, Eloquent ORM is Laravel’s object-relational mapper, providing an elegant way to interact with databases. Eloquent simplifies querying databases by allowing developers to work with database records as PHP objects, using an expressive and easy-to-understand syntax. It supports relationships between tables, allowing developers to define and manage one-to-many, many-to-many, and other complex relationships effortlessly.

Together, Blade and Eloquent streamline both the front-end and back-end of Laravel applications, contributing to Laravel’s reputation as a developer-friendly framework.

Popular Laravel packages

Laravel provides a vast package ecosystem that extends its functionality, making development more efficient and feature-rich. Here are some of the most popular Laravel packages:

• Laravel Passport: This module simplifies API authentication by providing a full OAuth2 server implementation, ideal for building APIs with secure access.
• Laravel Cashier: This package simplifies subscription billing management for services like Stripe and Braintree, making it easy to implement payment processing.
• Laravel Scout: Laravel Scout makes adding full-text search capabilities to your application a breeze by integrating with search services like Algolia.
• Laravel Horizon: Horizon provides a dashboard for monitoring Laravel queues, making it easier to manage and monitor background jobs.

Key benefits of Laravel

Laravel has quickly become one of the most popular PHP frameworks due to its numerous advantages. Here are some key benefits of using Laravel:

• Elegant syntax: Laravel’s clean and expressive syntax makes it easy to write readable, maintainable code, reducing development time and minimizing bugs.
• Comprehensive ecosystem: Laravel comes with a wide array of built-in tools and integrations, such as Laravel Mix, Cashier, Horizon, and Passport, covering everything from asset compilation to billing.
• Strong security features: Laravel provides built-in features like CSRF protection, password hashing, and encryption, ensuring that your application remains secure.
• MVC architecture: Laravel follows the Model-View-Controller architecture, which separates logic, presentation, and data layers, leading to better-organized and maintainable code.
• Active community: Laravel has a large and active developer community, offering extensive documentation, forums, and tutorials to help developers at all levels.
• Rapid development: With features like Artisan CLI (command-line interface) and Eloquent ORM, Laravel enables rapid application development, making it an excellent choice for MVPs and startups.