Laravel 5 vs Laravel 4: Which One To Choose?

An open-source PHP web framework, Laravel has long proven its mettle as a robust solution that eases the development of web applications, no matter the size or complexity. It offers developers a variety of features, including an object-relational mapper (ORM) system, a built-in template engine, native security features, and an authentication library among others. Now, Laravel has continued to evolve over the years -- much like everything else in the world -- to fulfill the varying demands and requirements of web app developers. Moreover, this has given us two very capable iterations of the framework, Laravel 4 and Laravel 5.

It is a given that every iteration gets accompanied by tons of modern functionalities, updated functions, and more. Though much-welcomed, such changes can often make it difficult to decide which version is better suited for your projects. So, here is a quick walkthrough to show how Laravel 5 has improved over Laravel 4. This way you can see for yourself why Laravel 5 is a better option for your development project.

1. Directory structure: Laravel 5 gets a redesigned directory structure. It enforces the PSR-4 autoloading standard and renders every class namespaced. This app has the default namespace for every web app; programmers can change it using specific commands. Furthermore, developers can also use the .env file, which is stored in the project's root, to handle different facets of the app environment.
2. Method injection: Laravel 5, unlike Laravel 4, does not need developers to provide a class instance by requesting Inversion of Control (IoC) container. It eases method injection by enabling them to declare the type hinted class instance straight in the controller method's signature. Furthermore, developers also get the option to incorporate various parameters in the controller method's name. Also, the type hinted class instance declared is managed by the IoC container.
3. Route caching: Laravel 5 boosts route caching speed by using Artisan’s route caching feature. Enhanced route caching enables developers to improve PHP applications' speed by accelerating route registration. They also have the option to turn route caching on or off.
4. Command objects: Laravel 5 also enables programmers to turn business logic into command objects. We must note that every command object gets devised as a self-contained code. Developers can then queue command objects to run business logic in the background asynchronously. It is vital since command objects make unit testing by running chunks of code in controller systems.
5. Authentication services: Both Laravel 4 and Laravel 5 get built-in authentication services. The latter allows developers to use ready-to-use authentication services. The authentication service will enable them to steer an explicit authentication boilerplate. It is with delivering models, view, controllers, and database migration.

The launch of Laravel 5 came loaded with improvements, upgrades, and new features that make it a better option for the framework as compared to Laravel 4. Furthermore, it has also made Laravel app development more accessible.