Upgrading Laravel from Version 11.x to Version 12.x

Just to state the obvious, keeping your framework up-to-date is good for its performance and security. Well, most times. Upgrading Laravel from version 11.x to version 12.x is a fairly straightforward process in most cases. Laravel Shift makes the process even easier, but not everyone wants to spend money on the upgrade. Here’s a somewhat high level guide to help you through the upgrade without using Laravel Shift.

Step-by-Step Instructions to Upgrade Laravel

1. Backup Your Project:
   Before making any changes, create a complete backup of your project files and database. This ensures that you can restore everything if something goes wrong during the upgrade process. Git is your friend. Make sure you commit everything and start on a clean repository. I mean clean, not new.

2. Update Your Composer Dependencies:
   Open your terminal and navigate to your Laravel project directory. Update your Laravel framework and other essential dependencies. Run the following command:

composer require laravel/framework:^12.0

Additionally, ensure you update phpunit/phpunit to ^11.0 or pestphp/pest to ^3.0 in your composer.json file for compatibility with Laravel 12.

3. Update Configuration Files:
   Check the config/app.php file for any new configuration options introduced in Laravel 12. Review other configuration files in the config directory for updates related to your specific packages and settings. This is crucial as Laravel often introduces new settings or deprecates old ones.

4. Update Your Code:
   Review your application code for any deprecated features or functions that may have been removed in Laravel 12. Notable changes to be aware of include:

• The HasUuids trait now returns UUIDs that are compatible with version 7 of the UUID specification, which are ordered UUIDs. If you want to continue using ordered UUIDv4 strings for your model's IDs, switch to the HasVersion4Uuids trait.
• The image validation rule now excludes SVG images by default. If you need to allow SVGs, you must explicitly permit them in your validation rules.

For detailed information on specific changes, consult the Laravel 12 Upgrade Guide{:target="_blank"}. As always, Taylor does a great job with the docs.

5. Run Migrations:
   If there are any new migrations in Laravel 12, you can run them with:

php artisan migrate

It's not always that simple though. In my experience, if you want to implement the new database changes, you may need to get your hands dirty by manually writing new migrations to transform your existing tables.

6. Test Your Application:
   Thoroughly test your application to ensure everything works as expected. This goes without saying. Don't let bugs due to breaking changes slip into your production code and cause issues.

7. Clear Cache:
   Clear your application cache to ensure that the latest changes take effect:

php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache
php artisan view:clear

Changes

The Laravel 12 Upgrade Guide goes into detail with these changes, but here they are, in a nutshell.

High Impact Changes

The upgrade to Laravel 12 includes several high-impact changes that you should be aware of:

• Updating Dependencies: Along with Laravel itself, dependencies such as PHPUnit and Pest need to be updated for compatibility.
• Removing Support for Carbon 2.x: Laravel 12 requires Carbon 3.x. Ensure your date handling code is compatible with this version.

Medium and Low Impact Changes

• Models and UUIDv7: The handling of UUIDs has changed, and you need to adjust your models accordingly.
• Image Validation: The default behavior of the image validation rule has changed, which may affect file uploads in your application.
• Concurrency Results: The handling of concurrency results has been updated, so if you are using the Concurrency::run method, adjust your code to accommodate the new result structure.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can successfully upgrade your Laravel application from version 11 to version 12. For detailed changes in your code, make sure to consult the Laravel 12 Upgrade Guide{:target=blank}. This guide provides essential information to ensure a smooth transition.

Additionally, if you want to save time during the upgrade process, consider using Laravel Shift{:target=blank} to help automate your application upgrades.

If you are hesitating to do it yourself, you can hire us to make the upgrade for you.