Step-by-Step Guide: Setting Up Laravel with Laragon

Laragon is highly recommended for beginners because it automatically handles server configuration, creates local .test domains for your projects, and comes with Composer pre-installed.

Step 1: Download and Install Laragon

1. Go to the official [Laragon download page](https://laragon.org/download/).

2. Download Laragon Full. This version is recommended because it comes with everything you need out of the box (PHP, Apache/Nginx, MySQL, Node.js, and Composer).

3. Run the installer. You can leave all the default settings checked during the installation process (especially the option to auto-create virtual hosts).

4. Once installed, open Laragon and click the Start All button to boot up your local server and database.

Step 2: Open Laragon's Built-in Terminal

Since Laragon already includes Composer, you do not need to install it separately on your computer.

1. On the Laragon dashboard, click the Terminal button.

2. This will open a command-line interface that is automatically configured to use Laragon's internal PHP and Composer versions.

Step 3: Navigate to the Web Root Directory

By default, the terminal might open in the Laragon installation folder. You need to move to the www folder, which is where all your projects will live.

Type the following command and press Enter:

cd C:\laragon\www

(If you installed Laragon on a different drive, adjust the path accordingly).

Step 4: Install Laravel via Composer

Now, you will use Composer to fetch Laravel and set up a new project. Run the following command:

composer create-project laravel/laravel my-project

composer create-project: Tells Composer to build a new project from an existing package.

laravel/laravel: The official package name for the Laravel framework.

my-project: The name of the folder you want to create for your app. You can change this to anything you like (e.g., blog, store, portfolio).

Composer will now download Laravel and all its required dependencies. This process may take a minute or two.

Step 5: View Your Application in the Browser

One of Laragon's best features is its auto-virtual host generator. Whenever you create a new folder inside C:\laragon\www, Laragon automatically generates a clean local URL for it in the format [http://folder-name.test](http://folder-name.test).

1. Once the Composer installation finishes, look at the Laragon dashboard. It may prompt you to allow it to make changes to your hosts file (click Yes).

2. Open your web browser.

3. Type in [http://my-project.test](http://my-project.test) (matching whatever name you gave your project folder).

You should now see the official Laravel welcome screen. Your development environment is ready to go!