How to Use Public Disk in Laravel: Simple Guide

In Laravel, use the public disk to store files accessible via the web by configuring it in config/filesystems.php. Use Storage::disk('public') methods to save, retrieve, or delete files in the storage/app/public folder, which is linked to public/storage for public access.

Syntax

The public disk is defined in config/filesystems.php and points to storage/app/public. You use it with Laravel's Storage facade like this:

• Storage::disk('public')->put('filename.txt', 'contents'); - saves a file
• Storage::disk('public')->get('filename.txt'); - reads a file
• Storage::disk('public')->url('filename.txt'); - gets the public URL

Make sure to run php artisan storage:link once to create a symbolic link from public/storage to storage/app/public.

php

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;

// Save a file to the public disk
Storage::disk('public')->put('example.txt', 'Hello Laravel!');

// Read the file contents
$content = Storage::disk('public')->get('example.txt');

// Get the public URL
$url = Storage::disk('public')->url('example.txt');

Example

This example shows how to save a text file to the public disk, read its contents, and get its public URL for web access.

php

<?php

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;

Route::get('/test-public-disk', function () {
    // Save a file
    Storage::disk('public')->put('greeting.txt', 'Hello from Laravel public disk!');

    // Read the file
    $content = Storage::disk('public')->get('greeting.txt');

    // Get public URL
    $url = Storage::disk('public')->url('greeting.txt');

    return [
        'file_content' => $content,
        'public_url' => $url
    ];
});

Output

{"file_content":"Hello from Laravel public disk!","public_url":"http://your-app.test/storage/greeting.txt"}

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using the public disk include:

• Not running php artisan storage:link to create the symbolic link, so files are not accessible via the web.
• Trying to access files directly in storage/app/public without the link.
• Using Storage::put() without specifying the public disk, which saves files in the default disk (usually local) and not publicly accessible.

php

<?php
// Wrong: saves file in default disk, not public
Storage::put('file.txt', 'data');

// Right: saves file in public disk
Storage::disk('public')->put('file.txt', 'data');

Quick Reference

Action	Code Example	Description
Save file	Storage::disk('public')->put('file.txt', 'contents');	Save a file to public disk
Read file	Storage::disk('public')->get('file.txt');	Get file contents
Get URL	Storage::disk('public')->url('file.txt');	Get public URL for file
Delete file	Storage::disk('public')->delete('file.txt');	Remove file from public disk
Create link	php artisan storage:link	Create symbolic link for public access

Key Takeaways

Use Storage::disk('public') to work with files in the public disk.

Run php artisan storage:link once to make files publicly accessible.

Files saved on the public disk are stored in storage/app/public.

Access files via URLs under public/storage after linking.

Avoid saving files without specifying the public disk if you want web access.