About Laravel Auth Project

This is a simple authentication project built with Laravel 11. It includes user registration, login, and logout functionality. The project demonstrates how to build a basic authentication system using Laravel's built-in authentication capabilities.

Features

• User registration
• User login/logout
• Form validation with Bootstrap styling
• Alert messages for success and error handling
• Protected dashboard accessible only after login

Prerequisites

Before running this project, make sure you have the following installed on your system:

• PHP 8.1 or higher
• Composer
• MySQL or any database supported by Laravel
• Node.js and npm (for Laravel Mix and frontend build tools)
• Laravel 11

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/laravel-auth-project.git
cd laravel-auth-project

2. Install Dependencies

Install the required PHP dependencies using Composer:

composer install

Install the required frontend dependencies (if applicable):

npm install

3. Configure the Environment

Copy the .env.example file to .env:

cp .env.example .env

Update the following lines in your .env file to match your database configuration:

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=laravel_auth
DB_USERNAME=your_db_username
DB_PASSWORD=your_db_password

4. Generate the Application Key

Laravel requires an application key for encryption purposes. Generate the key using the following Artisan command:

php artisan key:generate

5. Create the Database

Create a new MySQL database named laravel_auth (or update the database name in the .env file as necessary):

CREATE DATABASE laravel_auth;

6. Run Migrations

Run the database migrations to set up the necessary tables:

php artisan migrate

7. Run the Development Server

Start the local development server using the Artisan CLI:

php artisan serve

You can now access the application at http://127.0.0.1:8000.

8. Optional: Compile Assets

If you modify any frontend assets (e.g., CSS or JavaScript), you can compile them using Laravel Mix:

npm run dev

To compile for production:

npm run prod

How to Use

1. Register a new user: Visit /register and create a new account.
2. Login: Use the credentials from registration to log in via /login.
3. Dashboard: Once logged in, you will be redirected to the dashboard. This page is protected and only accessible to authenticated users.
4. Logout: Click the logout button in the dashboard to log out of your account.

Project Structure

• Routes: Defined in routes/web.php.
• Views: Located in resources/views for templates like login, register, and dashboard.
• Controllers: Auth-related logic is handled in app/Http/Controllers/AuthController.php.
• Middleware: Route protection is managed via the auth middleware in app/Http/Middleware.

Troubleshooting

• If you encounter any issues with the environment variables, make sure your .env file is correctly configured.
• Ensure that you have the proper database credentials in the .env file and that your MySQL server is running.

License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT license.