Controller middleware in Laravel - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Using Controller Middleware in Laravel

📖 Scenario: You are building a simple Laravel web application that has a controller to manage user profiles. You want to protect the profile routes so that only authenticated users can access them.

🎯 Goal: Create a controller called UserProfileController and apply the built-in auth middleware to it. This will ensure only logged-in users can access the controller's methods.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a controller named UserProfileController

Add the auth middleware to the controller's constructor

Create a method show that returns a simple string

Ensure the middleware protects all methods in the controller

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Middleware is commonly used in Laravel to protect routes and controllers, ensuring only authorized users can access certain parts of a web application.

💼 Career

Understanding how to apply middleware in Laravel controllers is essential for backend developers working with Laravel to build secure web applications.

1

Create the UserProfileController

Create a controller class named UserProfileController inside the App\Http\Controllers namespace. Add a public method called show that returns the string 'User Profile Page'.

Laravel

<?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class UserProfileController extends Controller
{
    // Your code here
}

Need a hint?

Remember to define the class inside the correct namespace and add the show method that returns the exact string.

2

Add the auth middleware in the constructor

Inside the UserProfileController class, add a constructor method __construct. In this constructor, apply the auth middleware using $this->middleware('auth');.

Laravel

<?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class UserProfileController extends Controller
{
    public function __construct()
    {
        // Your code here
    }

    public function show()
    {
        return 'User Profile Page';
    }
}

Need a hint?

The constructor method is named __construct. Use $this->middleware('auth'); inside it to apply the middleware.

3

Add a second method to demonstrate middleware protection

Add a public method named edit inside UserProfileController that returns the string 'Edit User Profile'. This method will also be protected by the auth middleware.

Laravel

middleware('auth');
    }

    public function show()
    {
        return 'User Profile Page';
    }

    // Your code here
}

Need a hint?

Define the edit method similar to show, returning the exact string.

4

Complete the controller with middleware protecting all methods

Ensure the UserProfileController class has the auth middleware applied in the constructor and includes both show and edit methods returning their respective strings. This completes the controller setup with middleware protection.

Laravel

middleware('auth');
    }

    public function show()
    {
        return 'User Profile Page';
    }

    public function edit()
    {
        return 'Edit User Profile';
    }

    // Your code here if needed
}

Need a hint?

Review the controller to confirm the middleware is applied and both methods are present with correct return values.