Laravel 12 Released with Streamlined Application Structure

The Laravel team has officially released Laravel 12, bringing a refreshed default application structure and modernized starter kits that integrate seamlessly with React, Vue, and Livewire out of the box.

What's New in Laravel 12

Laravel 12 focuses on developer experience improvements rather than sweeping internal changes. The most visible change is the new streamlined directory structure — bootstrap/app.php now serves as the single entry point for middleware, exception handling, and routing configuration, replacing the old Kernel.php approach.

Updated Starter Kits

The official starter kits have been rebuilt from the ground up. Developers can now scaffold a full-stack application with React (using Inertia.js), Vue (using Inertia.js), or Livewire with just one Artisan command. Each kit ships with authentication, dark mode support, and a polished UI built on shadcn/ui components.

Workbench Improvements

Package developers benefit from an improved workbench experience, making it easier to develop, test, and document Laravel packages within a real application context.

Laravel 12 requires PHP 8.2 or higher and can be installed via Composer:

composer create-project laravel/laravel my-app

Upgrade guides are available in the official documentation for projects migrating from Laravel 11.