Laravel 10 – What are the latest updates & Features?

Laravel team worked hard to meet the ever-changing needs of business needs.

Finally, the team is here with their latest release Laravel 10. This blog will help you know about Laravel 10 with the newest updates & features. These additions are attracting business owners as well as developers to encourage them to upgrade their current Laravel apps to a new version.

Overview

Laravel and its 1st party packages are based on the Semantic Versioning methodology, which requires bringing major updates to this framework at least once a year in the first 3 months.

On the other hand, some small updates can be launched on an as-needed basis.

The latest release of Laravel has introduced new updates and features. Earlier, the new version of this framework was launched after every six months.

Laravel 10 – What are the latest updates & Features?

The main team of Laravel strives to work hard to offer excellent features for its users. Let us have a look at the newest features & updates introduced.

• Laravel Pennant

It is a simple feature flag package that helps you to introduce new features within your app effortlessly. It comprises support-based development plans, A/B test interface design, and much more. This feature enables turning a feature ON/OFF at runtime without making any changes to the code.

PHP 8.0 Support Eliminated

Laravel 10 version doesn’t support PHP 8.0, and you should upgrade to PHP 8.1/8.2. Well, it is not essential to update your Laravel apps to the newest version soon after their release.

Well, proper testing is suggested mainly for projects with paid employees or clients.

Also, support for Predis v1 and PHP 8.0 is eliminated and you should upgrade to Predis v2.

• Default Invokable Validation Terms

When it comes to Laravel 9, the invokable flag was mandatory to be included after artisan command while drafting a new Invokable rule. In the case of Laravel 10, you can run the command mentioned below to make a fresh Invokable rule-

“php artisan make:rule CustomRule”

Also, the boilerplate code is simple to understand, and makes it easy for developers to build their custom validation rules.

• Simple Process Handling

Laravel provides a simple & extensive API for the Symphony Process component which helps you execute external processes in Laravel app without any hassles. This process functionality communicates common use cases offering a modern development experience.

• Removed dispatchNow()

Talking about Laravel 10, – the ‘dispatchNow()’ method is eliminated as it has been removed as it was criticized in Laravel 9 for ‘dispatchSync()’. So, it is necessary to change it in your current projects, as it incorporates a remarkable change, but the solution is very simple.

• Application Skeleton Code using Type Declarations

Earlier, Laravel used DocBlocks in its skeleton code to elaborate the function of a specific code & the responses/parameters it gives.

Well, with the latest Type Declarations the user codes inside the framework will now display type-hints & return types.

These improvements have added advantages and do not influence the backward compatibility of the core framework.

It consists of

• Method Arguments
• Return Types
• Removal of unnecessary annotations when convenient except for Types property helping users to use closure arguments.

Eliminations from Laravel 9

With the latest update to Laravel, the crew is finishing deprecated methods in the latest version that used to exist in Laravel 9.

The documentation for the upgrade process includes the details of deprecated methods & packages. So, if you are planning to upgrade your projects to Laravel v10, you need to rewrite your code to attain the expected results.

Should you move to Laravel 10?

Remember, Laravel is free to use a framework so each time you install a fresh app on your device, you will have a codebase. If your version is not supported, still, your app will be functional.

Well, you will be accountable for maintaining the version on your own. So, it is recommended that you consider stability over the framework upgrading process. Plan your upgrade to Laravel 10 if:

• Your existing Laravel application is working well and is stable.
• The upgrade will help you introduce an essential feature to fix a complex bug that will improve the app’s performance.
• You have tested your app thoroughly before performing an upgrade within a production environment.

Upgrading from Laravel 9 to Laravel 10 – How to do it?

With the latest launch of Laravel v10, the process of upgrading your existing Laravel app to the latest version will be a cakewalk Laravel 10.x Shift. It helps automate the upgrade from Laravel 9 to Laravel 10 which will save nearly 2 hours for you.

Note that Laravel & Laravel 10.x Shift will get regular updates, and if you are using Shift, you can ask for a rerun if required.

• Requirements

If you are planning to upgrade the existing Laravel app to Laravel 10, here are a set of crucial requirements

• Your Laravel app should be on the Laravel 9 version or higher.
• Your server should have PHP 8.1 version or a higher one installed.
• Core Upgrades

Several upgrades highlighted in Laravel Upgrade Guide, are automated by the Shift which includes

• Latest methods for modifications done to interfaces
• Upgrades to the main project files of Laravel
• Conversion – deprecated $dates property to $casts
• Including PHP-type hints to your Laravel app
• Update core dependencies for PHP 8.1 & Laravel 10.
• Elimination of unnecessary typing inside PHP DocBlocks
• Additional Upgrades

Apart from the core, the Shift offers added upgrades given in the Laravel Upgrade Guide like:

• Efficiency to apply the code style of your choice.
• Advancement of PHP syntax which includes utilization of short arrays and null safe operator.
• Conversions to anonymous migrations
• Adoption of class-based routes and tuple syntax.
• Elevated dependency limitations for some popular packages.Automated changes needed for PHPUnit 9
• Updates to vital config files to show the Laravel 10 versions
• Change of Faker property access to method calls.
• Manual Upgrades

The main objective of Laravel 10.x Shift is to automate more and more upgrades, still, it is not possible to automate certain updates.

In such stances, it identifies such updates and offers related instructions through comments inside pull requests highlighting the essential steps needed for manual implementation.

While Shift tries to identify and automate upgrades for all popular dependencies, there is still a need for manual implementation. So, review the changelog for dependencies or other added modifications to initiate a successful upgrade.

Conclusion

Here, this blog helps you know the latest updates, features, and requirements of Laravel 10.

If you own a business and are not sure whether to upgrade your current Laravel app to Laravel 10 or planning a new project but confused if Laravel is the ideal solution to meet your needs, get in touch with a professional Laravel development company to seek consultation and help from an expert team to get answers to your questions.

Vaibhav Salot

Author