Laravel 12 Job Interview Questions (With Answers & Explanations)

Landing a Laravel developer job requires deep framework knowledge and problem-solving skills. To help you prepare, we’ve compiled the most common Laravel 12 interview questions—with detailed answers and real-world explanations.

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced dev, this guide will boost your confidence before the big interview!

🏆 Basic Laravel Interview Questions

1. What is Laravel, and why is it popular?

✅ Answer:
Laravel is a PHP framework for building web apps with elegant syntax. It’s popular because:
✔ Built-in features (Eloquent ORM, Blade templating, Artisan CLI)
✔ Strong community & documentation
✔ MVC architecture for clean code
✔ Built-in security (CSRF protection, hashed passwords)

💡 Real-world analogy:
Think of Laravel as a pre-built house framework—you get walls (routes), plumbing (database), and electricity (authentication) ready to use!

2. Explain the MVC architecture in Laravel.

✅ Answer:

• Model (M): Handles database logic (e.g., User.php).
• View (V): Displays data (Blade templates).
• Controller (C): Manages user requests (e.g., UserController.php).

🔹 Example:

// Model (User.php)  
public function posts() {  
    return $this->hasMany(Post::class);  
}  

// Controller (UserController.php)  
public function show(User $user) {  
    return view('user.profile', ['user' => $user]);  
}  

// View (profile.blade.php)  
<h1>{{ $user->name }}</h1>  

3. What is Eloquent ORM?

✅ Answer:
Eloquent is Laravel’s database query builder that lets you interact with databases using PHP instead of SQL.

🔹 Example:

// Instead of: "SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = 1"  
$activeUsers = User::where('active', 1)->get();  

💡 Why it’s better?

• Prevents SQL injection
• Supports relationships (hasMany, belongsTo)
• Clean, readable syntax

⚡ Intermediate Laravel Questions

4. What is Middleware, and how do you use it?

✅ Answer:
Middleware filters HTTP requests before they reach your application.

🔹 Example:

// Create middleware  
php artisan make:middleware AdminCheck  

// Apply to routes  
Route::get('/admin', function () {  
    // Only admins can access  
})->middleware('admin');  

💡 Real-world use cases:
✔ Authentication (auth middleware)
✔ Logging requests
✔ Restricting admin panels

5. Explain Laravel’s Service Container & Dependency Injection.

✅ Answer:

• Service Container: A tool for managing class dependencies (like a "smart" box that auto-resolves objects).
• Dependency Injection: Passing dependencies (e.g., a MailService) into a class instead of hardcoding them.

🔹 Example:

// Without DI (bad)  
class UserController {  
    protected $mailService;  

    public function __construct() {  
        $this->mailService = new MailService();  
    }  
}  

// With DI (good)  
class UserController {  
    public function __construct(MailService $mailService) {  
        $this->mailService = $mailService; // Auto-injected  
    }  
}  

💡 Why it’s better?
✔ Easier testing (mock dependencies)
✔ More flexible code

6. What are Laravel Queues, and when should you use them?

✅ Answer:
Queues delay time-consuming tasks (like sending emails) to improve performance.

🔹 Example:

// Dispatch a job  
SendWelcomeEmail::dispatch($user)->delay(now()->addMinutes(5));  

💡 When to use queues?
✔ Sending bulk emails
✔ Processing uploads
✔ Heavy database operations

🔥 Advanced Laravel Questions

7. How does Laravel handle authentication?

✅ Answer:
Laravel provides:
✔ Sanctum (API tokens)
✔ Passport (OAuth)
✔ Fortify (UI auth scaffolding)

🔹 Example (Sanctum):

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

// Protect routes  
Route::middleware('auth:sanctum')->get('/user', function () {  
    return auth()->user();  
});  

8. What is the difference between where() and whereHas()?

✅ Answer:

• where() → Filters current model.
• whereHas() → Filters related models.

🔹 Example:

// Users who have at least 1 post  
$usersWithPosts = User::whereHas('posts')->get();  

// Users from the USA  
$usaUsers = User::where('country', 'USA')->get();  

9. Explain Laravel Horizon vs. Queues.

✅ Answer:

💡 When to use Horizon?
✔ High-traffic apps
✔ Need job analytics

🎯 Final Tips for Your Interview

✔ Practice coding challenges (e.g., build a mini-CRUD app).
✔ Understand security (CSRF, SQL injection).
✔ Be ready for scenario questions (e.g., "How would you optimize a slow API?").

Good luck with your interview! 💼🔥
Got more questions? Drop them below! 👇