How long does it take to learn Laravel?

The time it takes to learn Laravel depends on many factors. If you’re already a pro at full-stack web development projects in another programming language, learning Laravel likely won’t take too long – given how intuitive it is. If you’re new to the development process, it might surprise you how quickly professional growth can be in the world of Laravel. So, just how long does it take to learn Laravel? Let’s find out, shall we?

If you’re entirely new to programming, learning Laravel can take a bit longer, as you’ll first need to grasp the basics of PHP and web development before you get stuck into your first Laravel project. Laravel has a really bright future in the coding world with more and more websites and apps being created with it. So, if you’re new to coding, Laravel certainly isn’t going anywhere, so it’s worth knowing.

Here’s a general path:

PHP fundamentals (2-4 weeks):

Since Laravel is built on PHP, having basic PHP knowledge is a must. Concepts like variables, functions, arrays, loops, and object-oriented programming (OOP) are essential. Dedicate at least a few weeks to master core PHP code. Advanced PHP code will come in time as you begin to master Laravel and become a pro Laravel developer.

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript basics (2-3 weeks):

Understanding how websites are structured and styled, along with basic interactivity, is crucial. Laravel handles the back-end, but knowing front-end basics will help in full-stack development.

Laravel basics (4-8 weeks):

Once you’re comfortable with PHP, you can start diving into Laravel. Begin with its structure (MVC – Model, View, Controller), routing, controllers, and templating using Blade. Official Laravel documentation and beginner tutorials can give you access to template code and are a great starting point. Leaning on the Laravel community will help too – more on how to do this below.

At this stage, learning Laravel might take you anywhere from 2 to 4 months. This is assuming you’re dedicating consistent time each week to learning and practising.

If you already have some programming experience, especially with PHP, your learning curve will be much shorter.

MVC and routing (1 week):

If you’re familiar with other frameworks or have used PHP extensively, understanding Laravel’s MVC framework and routing system will be quick.

Database management and Eloquent ORM (2-3 weeks):

Laravel’s Eloquent ORM is one of its most powerful features. Intermediate developers usually take a couple of weeks to get comfortable with how Laravel manages databases, relationships, and migrations.

Authentication and middleware (1-2 weeks):

This is where Laravel’s power really shines for more seasoned developers. Learning how to implement user authentication, manage sessions, and use middleware will take an additional week or two.

In general, intermediate developers can gain a solid understanding of Laravel in 1-2 months, depending on how deep you want to dive into its features.

Advanced developers with strong PHP knowledge, and experience working with other frameworks like Symfony or CodeIgniter, will pick up Laravel quickly.

Advanced Laravel features (2-3 weeks):

Features like queues, jobs, events, broadcasting, and testing can be tackled within a couple of weeks. Laravel’s fluent API and expressive syntax mean that advanced developers can move fast once they understand the basic architecture.

Integration with frontend frameworks (1 week):

If you already have experience integrating front-end frameworks like Vue.js or React, implementing these with Laravel (using tools like Inertia.js or Laravel Mix) will be a quick win.

For advanced developers, learning Laravel could take as little as 1-2 weeks for a solid foundational knowledge, and up to a month to become proficient in its more advanced features.

Regardless of your skill level, the time it takes to learn Laravel will always be influenced by the learning methods and resources you use:

Official documentation – Laravel’s official documentation is comprehensive and well-organised. It’s an excellent starting point for developers of all skill levels.

Tutorials and courses – Websites like Laracasts and Udemy offer great Laravel tutorials, with Laracasts being considered one of the best resources for learning Laravel. YouTube also has a fantastic community of Laravel developers and some excellent tutorials for all levels.

Practice projects – Build real-world projects to solidify your understanding. Start with a simple web application like a blog or to-do list and then move on to more complex projects like e-commerce sites or APIs.

Community support – Laravel has a large, active community. Joining forums like Laracasts or Reddit’s r/laravel will help you get quick feedback and support. The Laravel community is also very active on GitHub and Laravel.io. So, you have plenty of places to learn and get support from this strong community.

Mastering Laravel doesn’t stop after a few months of learning the basics. As with any framework, there are always more advanced features, best practices, and emerging trends to follow. Stay up to date with Laravel news in the forums to ensure you never miss out on new features, best coding practices or tutorials on handy advanced coding.

Depending on your commitment to continuous learning, achieving a truly expert level of knowledge in Laravel could take anywhere from several months to a couple of years. However, within 3-6 months of consistent practice, most developers can feel confident building robust applications.

In summary, the time it takes to learn Laravel depends on your experience level and learning approach, but here’s a rough guide:

Beginners – 2-4 months

Intermediate developers – 1-2 months

Advanced developers – 1 month or less

With the right mindset, practice, and use of the many learning resources available, you can speed up your learning curve and start building Laravel applications sooner than you think. Laravel is designed to be developer-friendly, so once you start, you’ll quickly appreciate how its structure makes web development not only efficient but also enjoyable!

Don’t forget to check out more about Laravel on the Nimbus blog. When you’re ready to progress your Laravel career, we have  Laravel hosting packages perfect for freelance developers and agencies.