Introduction
Laravel 11 provides a robust authentication system, and using Sanctum, we can implement API-based authentication efficiently. This guide covers setting up user authentication, managing account and dashboard pages, and protecting routes for categories and products. Unauthenticated users will be redirected to the login page.
Prerequisites
- Laravel 11 installed
- Composer and PHP 8.3+
- MySQL or any database supported by Laravel
- Postman or a frontend (Vue.js, React, or Blade) to test API calls
Step 1: Install Laravel 11
composer create-project laravel/laravel laravel11-auth
cd laravel11-authStep 2: Install Sanctum
composer require laravel/sanctum
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Laravel\Sanctum\SanctumServiceProvider"
php artisan migrateAdd Sanctum’s middleware to app/Http/Kernel.php:
protected $middlewareGroups = [
'api' => [
\Laravel\Sanctum\Http\Middleware\EnsureFrontendRequestsAreStateful::class,
'throttle:api',
\Illuminate\Routing\Middleware\SubstituteBindings::class,
],
];Step 3: Set Up User Authentication
Create the AuthController:
php artisan make:controller AuthControllerModify app/Models/User.php to include Sanctum:
use Laravel\Sanctum\HasApiTokens;
class User extends Authenticatable
{
use HasApiTokens, HasFactory, Notifiable;
}Implement authentication in AuthController.php:
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Hash;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Auth;
use App\Models\User;
class AuthController extends Controller
{
public function register(Request $request)
{
$request->validate([
'name' => 'required',
'email' => 'required|email|unique:users',
'password' => 'required|min:6'
]);
$user = User::create([
'name' => $request->name,
'email' => $request->email,
'password' => Hash::make($request->password),
]);
$token = $user->createToken('auth_token')->plainTextToken;
return response()->json(['token' => $token, 'user' => $user]);
}
public function login(Request $request)
{
if (!Auth::attempt($request->only('email', 'password'))) {
return redirect()->route('login')->withErrors(['message' => 'Invalid credentials']);
}
$user = Auth::user();
$token = $user->createToken('auth_token')->plainTextToken;
return redirect()->route('dashboard');
}
public function logout()
{
Auth::user()->tokens()->delete();
return redirect()->route('login');
}
}Step 4: Protect Routes
Define routes in routes/web.php:
use App\Http\Controllers\AuthController;
use App\Http\Controllers\CategoryController;
use App\Http\Controllers\ProductController;
Route::get('/login', function () {
return view('auth.login');
})->name('login');
Route::post('/register', [AuthController::class, 'register']);
Route::post('/login', [AuthController::class, 'login']);
Route::middleware('auth:sanctum')->group(function () {
Route::get('/dashboard', function () {
return view('dashboard');
})->name('dashboard');
Route::post('/logout', [AuthController::class, 'logout'])->name('logout');
Route::resource('/categories', CategoryController::class);
Route::resource('/products', ProductController::class);
});Step 5: Create Blade Files
Layout File
Create resources/views/layouts/app.blade.php:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>@yield('title')</title>
</head>
<body>
@yield('content')
</body>
</html>Authentication Pages
Create resources/views/auth/login.blade.php:
@extends('layouts.app')
@section('title', 'Login')
@section('content')
<form method="POST" action="{{ route('login') }}">
@csrf
<input type="email" name="email" placeholder="Email" required>
<input type="password" name="password" placeholder="Password" required>
<button type="submit">Login</button>
</form>
@endsectionCreate resources/views/auth/register.blade.php:
@extends('layouts.app')
@section('title', 'Register')
@section('content')
<form method="POST" action="{{ route('register') }}">
@csrf
<input type="text" name="name" placeholder="Name" required>
<input type="email" name="email" placeholder="Email" required>
<input type="password" name="password" placeholder="Password" required>
<button type="submit">Register</button>
</form>
@endsectionDashboard Page
Create resources/views/dashboard.blade.php:
@extends('layouts.app')
@section('title', 'Dashboard')
@section('content')
<h1>Welcome to Dashboard</h1>
<a href="{{ route('logout') }}">Logout</a>
@endsectionCategories and Products Pages
Create resources/views/categories/index.blade.php:
@extends('layouts.app')
@section('title', 'Categories')
@section('content')
<h1>Categories</h1>
<a href="{{ route('categories.create') }}">Add Category</a>
<ul>
@foreach($categories as $category)
<li>{{ $category->name }}</li>
@endforeach
</ul>
@endsectionCreate resources/views/products/index.blade.php:
@extends('layouts.app')
@section('title', 'Products')
@section('content')
<h1>Products</h1>
<a href="{{ route('products.create') }}">Add Product</a>
<ul>
@foreach($products as $product)
<li>{{ $product->name }}</li>
@endforeach
</ul>
@endsectionSummary
We implemented Laravel 11 authentication with Sanctum and Blade templates, including registration, login, and protected routes for dashboard, categories, and products. Unauthorized users are redirected to the login page, ensuring a secure authentication system with user-friendly Blade templates.