How to use middleware in Laravel

Arif Billah Babu

Laravel

In Laravel, middleware is a way to filter HTTP requests entering your application. It provides a convenient mechanism for filtering HTTP requests entering your application. Laravel includes a variety of middleware like Authenticate, Authorize, EncryptCookies, and more, and you can also create your own custom middleware.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to use middleware in Laravel:

Using Built-in Middleware:

1. Applying Middleware to Routes:

Middleware can be applied to specific routes or groups of routes in your routes/web.php or routes/api.php file.

Route::get('/example', 'ExampleController@index')->middleware('middlewareName');

2. Applying Middleware to Controller Actions:

You can also apply middleware directly to controller actions.

class ExampleController extends Controller
{
    public function __construct()
    {
        $this->middleware('middlewareName');
    }

    public function index()
    {
        // Controller action logic
    }
}

3. Applying Middleware to Route Groups:

Middleware can be grouped and applied to multiple routes at once.

Route::middleware(['middlewareName'])->group(function () {
    // Routes that use the middleware
});

Creating Custom Middleware:

1. Generate Middleware:

Run the following command to generate a new middleware class:

php artisan make:middleware CustomMiddleware

This will create a new middleware class in the app/Http/Middleware directory.

2. Edit the Middleware:

Open the generated middleware file (CustomMiddleware.php) and implement the handle method.

<?php

namespace App\Http\Middleware;

use Closure;

class CustomMiddleware
{
    public function handle($request, Closure $next)
    {
        // Perform actions before the request is handled

        $response = $next($request);

        // Perform actions after the request is handled

        return $response;
    }
}

3. Register the Middleware:

Add your middleware to the $routeMiddleware array in the app/Http/Kernel.php file.

protected $routeMiddleware = [
    // Other middleware...
    'custom' => \App\Http\Middleware\CustomMiddleware::class,
];

4. Apply the Middleware:
You can now apply your custom middleware to routes or controllers using the name you provided in the $routeMiddleware array.

Route::get('/example', 'ExampleController@index')->middleware('custom');

Now, when a request is made to the specified route or controller, your middleware will be executed, and you can perform any necessary actions before or after the request is handled.

=== Happy Coding :)