How to Use Laravel Breeze for Simple Authentication Setup

To use Laravel Breeze, first install it via Composer with composer require laravel/breeze --dev. Then run php artisan breeze:install to scaffold authentication views and routes, followed by npm install && npm run dev to compile frontend assets, and finally migrate your database with php artisan migrate.

Syntax

Laravel Breeze uses simple Artisan commands to install and set up authentication scaffolding in your Laravel project.

• composer require laravel/breeze --dev: Adds Breeze package as a development dependency.
• php artisan breeze:install: Generates authentication controllers, views, and routes.
• npm install && npm run dev: Installs and compiles frontend assets like CSS and JavaScript.
• php artisan migrate: Runs database migrations to create necessary tables like users.

bash

composer require laravel/breeze --dev
php artisan breeze:install
npm install && npm run dev
php artisan migrate

Example

This example shows how to add Breeze authentication to a fresh Laravel project. It installs Breeze, sets up authentication views, compiles assets, and migrates the database.

bash

# Step 1: Require Breeze package
composer require laravel/breeze --dev

# Step 2: Install Breeze scaffolding
php artisan breeze:install

# Step 3: Install frontend dependencies and compile assets
npm install && npm run dev

# Step 4: Run migrations to create users table
php artisan migrate

# Step 5: Start Laravel server
php artisan serve

Output

Laravel development server started: http://127.0.0.1:8000

You can now visit the URL and see login and registration pages provided by Breeze.

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using Laravel Breeze include:

• Not running npm install && npm run dev after installing Breeze, so styles and scripts don’t load.
• Forgetting to run php artisan migrate, which causes login to fail due to missing database tables.
• Installing Breeze in a non-fresh Laravel project without resolving conflicts in routes or views.
• Not using the --dev flag with Composer, which can cause Breeze to be installed in production unintentionally.

bash

Wrong way:
composer require laravel/breeze
php artisan breeze:install
# Forgot to run npm install and migrate

Right way:
composer require laravel/breeze --dev
php artisan breeze:install
npm install && npm run dev
php artisan migrate

Quick Reference

Command	Purpose
composer require laravel/breeze --dev	Install Breeze package as a dev dependency
php artisan breeze:install	Generate authentication scaffolding
npm install && npm run dev	Install and compile frontend assets
php artisan migrate	Run database migrations for users and passwords
php artisan serve	Start Laravel development server

Key Takeaways

Install Laravel Breeze with Composer using the --dev flag for development.

Run php artisan breeze:install to scaffold authentication features quickly.

Always run npm install and npm run dev to compile frontend assets after installation.

Run php artisan migrate to create necessary database tables before using authentication.

Use php artisan serve to start the server and test your authentication pages.