Global Middleware in Laravel: What It Is and How It Works

In Laravel, global middleware is code that runs on every HTTP request your application receives. It acts like a filter that processes all requests before they reach your routes or controllers, allowing you to handle tasks like security, logging, or input modification globally.

How It Works

Think of global middleware as a security guard at the entrance of a building who checks every visitor before they enter. In Laravel, this guard is a piece of code that runs on every HTTP request, no matter which page or API endpoint the user wants to access.

This middleware can check things like if the user is logged in, if the request data is safe, or if the site is in maintenance mode. It runs automatically for all requests, so you don't have to add it manually to each route.

Laravel manages global middleware by listing them in the app/Http/Kernel.php file under the $middleware array. When a request comes in, Laravel runs each middleware in this list in order, then sends the request to the right controller or route.

Example

This example shows how to register a global middleware that logs every request's URL.

php

<?php

namespace App\Http\Middleware;

use Closure;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Log;

class LogRequestUrl
{
    public function handle(Request $request, Closure $next)
    {
        Log::info('Request URL: ' . $request->fullUrl());
        return $next($request);
    }
}

// Then, in app/Http/Kernel.php, add this middleware to the $middleware array:

protected $middleware = [
    // Other global middleware...
    \App\Http\Middleware\LogRequestUrl::class,
];

Output

No visible output on the page; logs request URLs to the application log file.

When to Use

Use global middleware when you want to apply a rule or action to every request in your Laravel app. For example:

• Checking if the site is in maintenance mode
• Logging all incoming requests for debugging
• Automatically trimming input data
• Setting security headers on every response

Global middleware is perfect for tasks that should never be skipped, no matter which page or API is accessed.

Key Points

• Global middleware runs on every HTTP request automatically.
• It is registered in the $middleware array in app/Http/Kernel.php.
• It is useful for tasks like security, logging, and input processing.
• Global middleware ensures consistent behavior across your entire app.

Key Takeaways

Global middleware runs on every HTTP request in a Laravel app.

Register global middleware in the $middleware array in app/Http/Kernel.php.

Use global middleware for tasks that must apply to all requests like logging or security.

Global middleware helps keep your app consistent and secure by handling common tasks automatically.