Notification channels (mail, database, SMS) in Laravel - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Notification channels (mail, database, SMS)

Trigger Notification Event

↓

Notification Class Called

↓

Determine Channels: mail, database, SMS

↓

User Receives Notification via Chosen Channels

When a notification is triggered, Laravel calls the notification class, determines which channels to use, then sends the notification via mail, stores it in the database, or sends an SMS.

Execution Sample

Laravel

Notification::send($user, new InvoicePaid($invoice));

// In InvoicePaid Notification class
public function via($notifiable) {
  return ['mail', 'database', 'sms'];
}

This code sends a notification to a user via mail, database, and SMS channels.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Channel	Result	Notes
1	Trigger Notification::send	All	Notification class InvoicePaid instantiated	Start sending notification
2	Call via() method	All	Channels returned: mail, database, sms	Determines channels to send
3	Send mail	mail	Email sent to user email address	Uses mail driver configured in Laravel
4	Save notification	database	Notification record saved in notifications table	Stores data for user to view later
5	Send SMS	sms	SMS sent to user phone number	Uses configured SMS gateway service
6	Complete	All	User receives notification via all channels	Process ends

💡 All specified channels processed, notification delivery complete

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 4	After Step 5	Final
$channels	null	['mail', 'database', 'sms']	['mail', 'database', 'sms']	['mail', 'database', 'sms']	['mail', 'database', 'sms']	['mail', 'database', 'sms']
$notificationStatus	not sent	pending	mail sent	mail sent, db saved	mail sent, db saved, sms sent	all sent

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does Laravel call the via() method before sending notifications?

Laravel calls via() to know which channels to use for sending the notification, as shown in step 2 of the execution_table.

How does Laravel handle sending notifications to multiple channels?

Laravel processes each channel one by one, sending mail, saving to database, and sending SMS separately, as seen in steps 3, 4, and 5.

What happens if one channel fails to send the notification?

Laravel attempts each channel independently; failure in one does not stop others. This is implied by separate steps for each channel.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what channels are returned by the via() method at step 2?

A ['database', 'sms']

B ['mail']

C ['mail', 'database', 'sms']

D []

💡 Hint

Check the 'Result' column at step 2 in the execution_table.

At which step is the notification saved to the database?

A Step 3

B Step 4

C Step 5

D Step 1

💡 Hint

Look for the 'database' channel action in the execution_table.

If the SMS channel was removed from via(), how would the execution_table change?

A Step 5 would be missing

B Step 3 would be missing

C Step 4 would be missing

D No change

💡 Hint

Compare the channels listed in step 2 and the following steps.

Concept Snapshot

Laravel Notification Channels:
- Use via() method to specify channels like 'mail', 'database', 'sms'.
- Laravel sends notifications on each channel separately.
- Mail sends email, database stores notification, SMS sends text message.
- Channels run independently; failure in one doesn't stop others.
- Configure each channel in Laravel settings before use.

Full Transcript

In Laravel, when you want to notify a user, you create a notification class and define which channels to use in the via() method. When Notification::send is called, Laravel checks the channels and sends the notification through each one: mail sends an email, database saves a record, and SMS sends a text message. Each channel works independently, so if one fails, others still run. This process ensures users get notified in multiple ways depending on your app's setup.