Route middleware in Laravel - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ component_behavior

intermediate

What is the output when accessing a route with middleware that aborts on condition?

Consider a Laravel route with middleware that checks if a user is admin. If not, it aborts with 403. What happens when a non-admin user accesses this route?

Laravel

<?php

Route::middleware(['checkAdmin'])->get('/dashboard', function () {
    return 'Welcome Admin';
});

// Middleware checkAdmin
public function handle($request, Closure $next)
{
    if (! $request->user()?->isAdmin()) {
        abort(403, 'Unauthorized');
    }
    return $next($request);
}

A The user receives a 403 Forbidden error page.

B The user sees 'Welcome Admin' message.

C The user is redirected to the login page.

D The middleware throws a runtime exception.

💡 Hint

Think about what abort(403) does in Laravel middleware.

The middleware checks if the user is admin. If not, it aborts with a 403 error, so the user sees a 403 Forbidden page.

📝 Syntax

intermediate

Which middleware registration syntax is correct in Laravel 10?

You want to register a route middleware named 'checkRole' in Laravel 10. Which syntax is correct in the RouteServiceProvider or routes file?

A Route::middleware(['checkRole'])->group(function () { Route::get('/admin', fn() => 'Admin'); });

B Route::middleware('checkRole', function () { Route::get('/admin', fn() => 'Admin'); });

C Route::middleware(['checkRole', 'auth'])->get('/admin', fn() => 'Admin');

D Route::middleware('checkRole')->group(function () { Route::get('/admin', fn() => 'Admin'); });

💡 Hint

Middleware names can be passed as a string or array, but group expects array for multiple.

Laravel expects middleware names as an array when grouping routes. Option A correctly uses an array with one middleware.

❓ state_output

advanced

What is the output of a route with multiple middleware modifying request data?

Given two middleware that add headers to the response, what headers will the client receive?

Laravel

<?php

// Middleware A
public function handle($request, Closure $next)
{
    $response = $next($request);
    return $response->header('X-Middleware-A', 'A');
}

// Middleware B
public function handle($request, Closure $next)
{
    $response = $next($request);
    return $response->header('X-Middleware-B', 'B');
}

Route::middleware(['middlewareA', 'middlewareB'])->get('/test', function () {
    return response('OK');
});

A Response headers include only X-Middleware-A: A

B Response headers include X-Middleware-A: A and X-Middleware-B: B

C Response headers include only X-Middleware-B: B

D Response has no custom headers

💡 Hint

Middleware run in order and can add headers to the response.

Both middleware add their own headers after calling the next middleware, so both headers appear in the final response.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this middleware not stop unauthorized users?

This middleware is supposed to abort unauthorized users but does not. Why?

Laravel

<?php

public function handle($request, Closure $next)
{
    if (! $request->user()?->isAdmin()) {
        abort(403);
    }
    return $next($request);
}

A abort(403) does not stop execution in Laravel middleware.

B Middleware must call $next() before aborting.

C The user() method is not available on the request object.

D The middleware forgets to return the result of $next($request).

💡 Hint

Middleware must return the next middleware's response.

Middleware must return the result of $next($request). Without return, the response is null and the request continues incorrectly.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

How does Laravel determine the order of middleware execution in a route?

Given a route with middleware ['auth', 'log', 'throttle'], in what order are the middleware executed and why?

A Middleware run randomly depending on server load.

B Middleware run in reverse order: throttle, then log, then auth.

C Middleware run in the order listed: auth, then log, then throttle.

D Middleware run in parallel, order does not matter.

💡 Hint

Think about how middleware wrap the request in layers.

Laravel executes middleware in the order they are listed, wrapping the request through each middleware sequentially.