Request in Laravel 12

When we start working with Laravel, one of the most important concepts is the request. Almost everything in a web application begins with a request. when a user opens a page, submits a form, uploads a file or sends data using AJAX.

In this tutorial, we will cover everything you need to know about requests in Laravel step by step. We’ll also explain related concepts like the request lifecycle, handling AJAX requests, cURL requests, form request validation and more.

What is a Request in Laravel?

A request in Laravel simply represents the HTTP request coming from the client (browser, mobile app, or API). Laravel provides the Illuminate\Http\Request class to interact with request data.

For example:

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

public function store(Request $request) {
  $name = $request->input('name');
  return "Hello, " . $name;
}

Laravel Request Lifecycle

Before learning how to handle requests, it’s good to understand how they actually work inside Laravel.

The Laravel request lifecycle goes like this:

1. User sends request – A user opens example.com/posts or submits a form.

2. Public/index.php – Every request first hits the public/index.php file.

3. bootstrap/app.php – The request is passed to the app.php, which loads middlewares and configurations.

4. Routing – Laravel matches the URL with the defined route (routes/web.php or routes/api.php).

5. Controller / Closure – If the route matches, it calls the related controller method.

6. Response – Finally, a response (HTML, JSON, or redirect) is sent back to the user.

Understanding this flow is important because when you debug requests, you’ll know exactly where things happen.

Types of Requests in Laravel

Laravel supports all HTTP request types.

1. GET Request in Laravel

GET requests are mostly used to fetch data or display pages.

In Blade (link example):

In Controller:

public function index(Request $request) {
   $category = $request->query('category');
   return "Category: " . $category;
}

2. POST Request in Laravel

POST requests are used when submitting forms.

In Blade Form:

<form action="{{ route('post.store') }}" method="POST"> @csrf 
    <input type="text" name="title">
   <button type="submit">Save</button> 
</form>

In Controller:

public function store(Request $request) {
  $title = $request->input('title');
  return "Post saved: " . $title; 
}

3. PUT / PATCH Request

Used for updating data.

Blade:

<form action="{{ url('/post/1') }}" method="POST">
    @csrf
    @method('PUT') <!-- or PATCH -->
    <input type="text" name="title" placeholder="Enter Title">
    <textarea name="content" placeholder="Enter Content"></textarea>
    <button type="submit">Update Post</button>
</form>

Route::put('/post/{id}', [PostController::class, 'update']);

public function update(Request $request, $id)
    {
        $post = Post::findOrFail($id);

        $post->title = $request->input('title');
        $post->content = $request->input('content');
        $post->save();

        return response()->json([
            'message' => 'Post updated successfully',
            'data' => $post
        ]);
    }

4. DELETE Request

Used for deleting resources.

Blade:

<form action="{{ url('/post/1') }}" method="POST">
    @csrf
    @method('DELETE')
    <button type="submit">Delete Post</button>
</form>

Route:

Route::delete('/post/{id}', [PostController::class, 'destroy']);

Controller:

public function destroy($id)
    {
        $post = Post::findOrFail($id);
        $post->delete();

        return response()->json([
            'message' => 'Post deleted successfully'
        ]);
    }

AJAX Request in Laravel

AJAX requests are very common in modern apps. Laravel makes it simple to handle them.

Blade Example (jQuery):

$.ajax({ 
url: "/posts",
 type: "POST",
 data: { title: "New Post", 
_token: "{{ csrf_token() }}" },
 success: function(response) { 
alert(response);
 } 
});

Controller:

public function store(Request $request)
{ if ($request->ajax()) {
  return response()->json([ 'message' => 'AJAX request received', 'data' => $request->all() ]);
 }}

cURL Request in Laravel

Sometimes you need to send HTTP requests to external APIs. Laravel can handle this easily using cURL or the built-in HTTP Client.

Using Laravel HTTP Client:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http; 

$response = Http::get('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1'); 
$data = $response->json();
 return $data;

This is much simpler than writing raw cURL code.

Laravel Custom Validation in Form Request

Validation is very important in requests. Instead of writing validation inside every controller, Laravel provides Form Request classes.

Step 1: Create Form Request

php artisan make:request StorePostRequest

Step 2: Add rules

public function rules()
{
    return [
        'title' => 'required|max:255',
        'body' => 'required'
    ];
}

Step 3: Use in Controller

public function store(StorePostRequest $request) { 
return "Post Created Successfully!"; 
}

This way, validation logic stays clean and reusable.

Laravel Get Request in Blade

You can also send query strings directly from Blade.

<a href="{{ route('post.index', ['page' => 2]) }}">Next Page</a>

Laravel Get Request Parameters in Controller

When you send query strings like ?id=5&name=ahmad, you can access them:

public function show(Request $request) {
 $id = $request->query('id');
 $name = $request->query('name');
 return "ID: $id, Name: $name";
}

Useful Request Methods in Laravel

Best Practices for Laravel Requests

• Always validate input before using it.
• Use Form Requests for clean code.
• Protect forms with @csrf token.
• Use Laravel HTTP Client instead of raw cURL.
• Keep business logic in services, not controllers.

Conclusion

Requests in Laravel are the foundation of how your application works. From the request lifecycle to form submissions, AJAX requests, and cURL requests, everything revolves around handling data coming from the client.

By using the right methods, custom validation, and Laravel’s built-in helpers, you can handle requests securely and efficiently.

Whether you’re building a small blog or a big enterprise app, understanding request in Laravel will make your development journey much smoother.