Laravel 10 vs Laravel 11

Laravel is a popular PHP framework for web application development, and it continuously evolves with new releases. Comparing Laravel 10 and Laravel 11 involves examining the new features, improvements, and any deprecated functionalities introduced in Laravel 11 compared to Laravel 10. Here’s an overview of what typically changes between major Laravel versions:

1. Directory structure

Laravel 10 Directory structure

    
        laravel-app/                                           
    │                                                           
    ├── app/
    │   ├── Console/
    │   ├── Exceptions/
    │   ├── Http/
    │   │   ├── Controllers/
    │   │   ├── Middleware/
    │   │   ├── Requests/
    │   │   └── Kernel.php
    │   ├── Models/
    │   └── Providers/
    │
    ├── bootstrap/
    │   └── app.php
    │
    ├── config/
    │
    ├── database/
    │   ├── migrations/
    │   └── seeders/
    │
    ├── public/
    │   └── index.php
    │
    ├── resources/
    │   ├── css/
    │   ├── js/
    │   ├── lang/
    │   └── views/
    │
    ├── routes/
    │   ├── api.php
    │   └── web.php
    │
    ├── storage/
    │   ├── app/
    │   ├── framework/
    │   └── logs/
    │
    ├── tests/
    │
    ├── vendor/
    │
    ├── .env
    ├── .env.example
    ├── artisan
    ├── composer.json
    ├── composer.lock
    ├── package.json
    ├── phpunit.xml
    ├── README.md
    └──vite.config.js                                  

  Laravel 11 Directory structure

laravel-app11/
│
├── app/
│   ├── Http/
│   │   ├── Controllers/
│   │           └── Controller.php
│   ├── Models/
│   └── Providers/
│
├── bootstrap/
│   ├── cache/
│   ├── app.php
│   └── provider.php
│
├── config/
│
├── database/
│   ├── factories/
│   ├── migrations/
│   └── seeders/
│
├── public/
│   └── index.php
│
├── resources/
│   ├── css/
│   ├── js/
│   ├── lang/
│   └── views/
│
├── routes/
│   ├── console.php
│   └── web.php
│
├── storage/
│   ├── app/
│   ├── framework/
│   └── logs/
│
├── tests/
│   ├── Featur/
│   └── Unit/
│
├── vendor/
│
├── .env
├── .env.example
├── artisan
├── composer.json
├── composer.lock
├── package.json
├── phpunit.xml
├── README.md
└──vite.config.js

2.Release Date and Version

3. App config File

	laravel 10 																	laravel 11
		config/app.php																config/auth.php
		config/auth.php																config/cache.php	
		config/broadcasting.php														config/database.php
		config/cache.php															config/filesystems.php
		config/cors.php																config/logging.php
		config/database.php															config/mail.php																											
		config/filesystems.php														config/queue.php																										
		config/hashing.php															config/services.php																										
		config/logging.php															config/session.php																									
		config/mail.php																													
		config/queue.php
		config/sanctum.php
		config/services.php
		config/session.php
		config/view.php																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																									

4. Laravel Request LifeCyle

Laravel 10 index.php file

<?php
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
// Determine if the application is in maintenance mode...
if (file_exists($maintenance = __DIR__ . '/../storage/framework/maintenance.php')) {
    require $maintenance;
}
// Register the Composer autoloader...
require __DIR__ . '/../vendor/autoload.php';
// Bootstrap Laravel and handle the request...
$app = require_once __DIR__ . '/../bootstrap/app.php';
$kernel = $app->make(Illuminate\Contracts\Http\Kernel::class);
$response = $kernel->handle(
    $request = Request::capture()
);
$response->send();
$kernel->terminate($request, $response);

Laravel 11 index.php file

<?php
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
// Determine if the application is in maintenance mode...
if (file_exists($maintenance = DIR_.'/../storage/framework/maintenance.php'))
{
require $maintenance;
}
// Register the Composer autoloader...
require _DIR_.'/../vendor/autoload.php';
// Bootstrap Laravel and handle the request...
(require_once _DIR_./../bootstrap/app.php')
->handleRequest(Request::capture());

5. Service Providers

In Laravel 10

We know in Laravel ServiceProviders play a vital role in bootstrapping the application. We may register service container bindings, event listeners, middleware, and even routes. Service providers are the central place to configure your application. 
In config/app.php you can see the Providers array

config/app.php
return [
 'providers' => [
        /*
         * Laravel Framework Service Providers...
         */
        Illuminate\Auth\AuthServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Broadcasting\BroadcastServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Bus\BusServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Cache\CacheServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Foundation\Providers\ConsoleSupportServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Cookie\CookieServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Database\DatabaseServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Encryption\EncryptionServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Filesystem\FilesystemServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Foundation\Providers\FoundationServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Hashing\HashServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Mail\MailServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Notifications\NotificationServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Pagination\PaginationServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Pipeline\PipelineServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Queue\QueueServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Redis\RedisServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Auth\Passwords\PasswordResetServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Session\SessionServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Translation\TranslationServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\Validation\ValidationServiceProvider::class,
        Illuminate\View\ViewServiceProvider::class,
        /*
         * Package Service Providers...
         */
        /*
         * Application Service Providers...
         */
        App\Providers\AppServiceProvider::class,
        App\Providers\AuthServiceProvider::class,
        // App\Providers\BroadcastServiceProvider::class,
        App\Providers\EventServiceProvider::class,
        App\Providers\RouteServiceProvider::class,
    ]]

Service Provider Directory of Laravel 10

In Laravel 11

But in Laravel 11 we see there is only one ServiceProvider AppServiceProvider. 
They are registered in bootstrap/providers.php

/bootstrap/providers.php
<?php
return [
    App\Providers\AppServiceProvider::class,
];

The register function is used to connect things to the Service Container, which is a tool for managing class dependencies. It’s like a box where we can store and retrieve things we need later. 
However, it’s important to only use register for binding things to the Service Container. We should not use it to set up event listeners, routes, or any other features. These setups should be done elsewhere, not in the register method.

<?php
namespace App\Providers;
use Illuminate\Support\ServiceProvider;
class AppServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
{
    /**
     * Register any application services.
     */
    public function register(): void
    {
        //
    }
    /**
     * Bootstrap any application services.
     */
    public function boot(): void
    {
        //
    }
}

Service Provider Directory of Laravel 11

6. Key Comparisons

detailed comparison of key aspects between Laravel 10 and Laravel 11:

1. Type Safety

Laravel 10:

• Introduction: Laravel 10 made strides in enhancing type safety by incorporating more native type declarations for functions, methods, and properties.
• Benefits: This change improved code readability, helped prevent bugs related to incorrect types, and allowed for better tooling support, such as IDE autocompletion and static analysis tools.

Laravel 11:

• Expected Enhancements: Laravel 11 is likely to continue this trend by leveraging new features in PHP 8.2 and PHP 8.3. This could include further enforcement of strict types, return types, and potentially union types where applicable.
• Benefits: This would result in even greater type safety, reducing runtime errors and making the codebase more robust and maintainable.

2. Performance

Laravel 10:

• Optimizations: Performance improvements were made for common tasks such as database queries, caching, and job processing. This included enhancements to Laravel Octane for better handling of high-performance requirements.
• Specific Improvements: For example, the introduction of job batching enhancements allowed for more efficient processing of multiple jobs, reducing overhead.

Laravel 11:

• Expected Improvements: Laravel 11 is expected to introduce further performance optimizations, particularly by taking advantage of new features in PHP 8.2 and 8.3. This may include improvements in memory usage, execution speed, and concurrency handling.
• Laravel Octane: Additional features and optimizations for Laravel Octane might be introduced, making it even more efficient for real-time applications and handling high traffic loads.

3. New Features

Laravel 10:

• Enhancements: Laravel 10 introduced new methods and enhancements to existing components, such as improved error pages, the profile method for queries, and better job batching.
• Mail System: The integration of Symfony Mailer replaced SwiftMailer, providing a more modern and robust mail handling system.

Laravel 11:

• Expected Additions: Laravel 11 is anticipated to bring significant new features that could include enhanced developer tools, new packages, and more intuitive ways to handle complex application requirements.
• Potential Areas: These new features might focus on areas such as enhanced routing capabilities, improved support for microservices, and more powerful Eloquent ORM features.

4. Backward Compatibility

Laravel 10:

• Maintained Compatibility: While maintaining a high degree of backward compatibility, Laravel 10 deprecated several outdated methods and features to pave the way for modern practices.
• Migration: Projects upgrading from older versions needed to address these deprecations, but the framework provided clear upgrade guides and tools to facilitate this process.

Laravel 11:

• Removal of Deprecated Features: Laravel 11 is likely to remove the features deprecated in Laravel 10, making the codebase cleaner and more efficient.
• Upgrade Considerations: This means projects upgrading to Laravel 11 will need to ensure they are not using deprecated features from Laravel 10, requiring some code refactoring.

5. Ecosystem

Laravel 10:

• Integration: Improved integration with the broader Laravel ecosystem, including official packages like Livewire (for reactive components) and Breeze (for simple authentication scaffolding).
• Community Contributions: Laravel 10 also saw many community-driven improvements and contributions, enhancing the overall ecosystem.

Laravel 11:

• Further Enhancements: Laravel 11 is expected to continue building on this, possibly introducing new official packages and improving integration with existing ones.
• New Tools: There might be new tools for better handling of API development, real-time communication, and more sophisticated frontend-backend integration.

Conclusion

Choosing Laravel 10:

• Stability: If your project requires immediate stability and the features introduced up to early 2023 are sufficient, Laravel 10 is a solid choice.
• Mature Ecosystem: It offers a mature ecosystem with robust documentation and community support.

Choosing Laravel 11:

• Cutting-Edge Features: If you can wait for the latest advancements, Laravel 11 will provide the most up-to-date features and improvements.
• Modern Practices: It will likely emphasize modern PHP practices, improved performance, and more stringent type safety.
• Future-Proofing: Opting for Laravel 11 ensures your project is built on the latest technology, potentially reducing the need for major upgrades in the near future.

By carefully considering these key comparisons, you can make an informed decision about whether to use Laravel 10 or wait for Laravel 11 for your next project or upgrade.