Laravel 12 Jetstream vs Sanctum – Which One Should You Choose?

Confused between Jetstream and Sanctum in Laravel 12? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Let’s break it down in simple terms.

🔰 Introduction

Authentication is the backbone of almost every web application. Whether you're building a blog, an e-commerce site, or a SaaS platform, you need a secure and flexible way to manage users.

Laravel, the most popular PHP framework, gives you multiple options for authentication:

• Sanctum – Lightweight and perfect for APIs or SPAs (Single Page Applications).
• Jetstream – A complete authentication starter kit with a polished UI and built-in features.

Both are official Laravel packages, but they serve different purposes. Let’s dive into each one.

🎯 What is Laravel Sanctum?

Laravel Sanctum is a simple and easy-to-use package designed for:

• Token-based API authentication
• SPA authentication using cookies
• Mobile app authentication

✨ Key Features of Sanctum

• Token-based authentication (like bearer tokens)
• SPA authentication via sessions and CSRF protection
• No frontend or UI – just pure API and backend
• Easy to set up

✅ When to Use Sanctum?

• You’re building a mobile app backend
• You’re working on a Vue/React frontend (SPA) with Laravel as the API
• You want lightweight authentication without extra UI components

🎨 What is Laravel Jetstream?

Laravel Jetstream is a full-featured authentication scaffolding that comes with:

• Login, Registration, Email Verification
• Forgot Password, Two-Factor Authentication
• Profile management
• Session management
• Team management (optional)

It supports two stacks:

• Livewire + Blade
• Inertia.js + Vue

✨ Key Features of Jetstream

• Pre-built UI using TailwindCSS
• Registration, login, logout, email verification
• API support via Laravel Sanctum
• Optional team functionality
• Security features like 2FA and session tracking

✅ When to Use Jetstream?

• You want a ready-made UI with modern design
• You're building a complete web app (not just an API)
• You want profile, team, and session management out-of-the-box
• You’re using Livewire or Inertia.js

🧠 Major Differences: Jetstream vs Sanctum

📦 Under the Hood: Jetstream Uses Sanctum

It’s important to know that Jetstream actually uses Sanctum internally to handle API authentication.

Think of Jetstream as a full house 🏡 and Sanctum as just the lock on the door 🔐.

If you want full control or you're only building APIs, choose Sanctum.
If you want a complete UI and advanced features ready to go, choose Jetstream.

🧪 Code Comparison

Sanctum Setup

composer require laravel/sanctum
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Laravel\Sanctum\SanctumServiceProvider"
php artisan migrate

Then, add HasApiTokens to your User model:

use Laravel\Sanctum\HasApiTokens;

class User extends Authenticatable
{
    use HasApiTokens, Notifiable;
}

Creating a token:

$token = $user->createToken('api-token')->plainTextToken;

Jetstream Setup

composer require laravel/jetstream
php artisan jetstream:install livewire
npm install && npm run dev
php artisan migrate

Includes full UI:

• /login
• /register
• /user/profile
• /teams (if enabled)

Jetstream gives you ready-made views, controllers, and security features so you don’t have to build everything from scratch.

🧩 Which One Should You Choose?

👉 Use Sanctum if:

• You’re building a mobile app backend
• You need API-only authentication
• You’re working on a custom frontend (like Vue/React/Flutter)

👉 Use Jetstream if:

• You want a pre-built authentication UI
• You’re building a full web app with Laravel and Livewire/Inertia
• You need features like 2FA, teams, and profile management

💬 Final Thoughts

Both Sanctum and Jetstream are powerful in their own ways. Laravel gives you the flexibility to pick the right tool depending on your project.

🧠 Pro Tip: You can always start with Sanctum and later add Jetstream if you need a UI.

🙌 Conclusion

Laravel makes authentication easy, secure, and flexible. Whether you go with Jetstream or Sanctum, you’re in good hands.

Want to try both? Create two test projects and explore the differences firsthand. That’s the best way to learn!