Streamlining Web Development: Integrating Laravel with WordPress

Developing web applications can be a resource-intensive endeavor. If you’re working with WordPress, you may be seeking a more efficient method to integrate your web development process with your Content Management System (CMS).

Fortunately, one of the most popular PHP frameworks, Laravel, can seamlessly integrate with WordPress. This powerful combination allows you to manage web application development through the WordPress back end, resulting in a more streamlined workflow.

In this article, we will delve into Laravel, explore its integration with WordPress, and examine the pros and cons of this approach. Let’s get started!

What Is Laravel?
Pros and Cons of Using Laravel With WordPress
Integrating Laravel With WordPress
- 3.1 Using WordPress Corcel
- 3.2 Using a Plugin
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What Is Laravel?

Laravel is a widely-used PHP framework designed to facilitate rapid web application development. It provides a robust structure that promotes rapid application development (RAD) while minimizing repetitive coding tasks.

By employing a framework like Laravel, developers of all experience levels can create more stable applications, ensuring adherence to proper syntax and optimal database interactions. If you’re new to PHP frameworks, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with key concepts, including:

Model View Controller (MVC): This architectural pattern separates the application into three interconnected components: the Model, the View, and the Controller, allowing developers to modify each part independently.
Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): In OOP, structures are built around data objects, enabling reuse throughout the application. Each object encompasses properties and behaviors that define its state and capabilities.
REST API: This architectural style is commonly employed in open-source web applications to facilitate a structured exchange of information.
Composer: This dependency management tool enables you to specify the libraries your project requires, allowing Composer to manage their installation and updates seamlessly.

It is important to note that, although both Laravel and WordPress are PHP-based, integrating them effectively requires careful coordination.

Pros and Cons of Using Laravel With WordPress

Integrating Laravel with WordPress can be highly beneficial, but it does demand a higher level of programming expertise. Here are some advantages and drawbacks to consider:

Advantages:

Streamlined Workflow: Share data between your web design and application projects, enhancing efficiency.
Consistent User Experience: Create web applications that mirror your website’s aesthetics, ensuring a cohesive customer journey.
User-Friendly Administration: Maintain the simplicity of a familiar WordPress admin panel for clients while leveraging Laravel for sophisticated front-end development.

Drawbacks:

Integration Challenges: WordPress does not natively support Composer, making integration complex.
Developer Expertise Required: Ideally, a skilled developer should be on staff to manage the integration effectively.

An illustrative example of this integration is the Laravel News website, which utilizes Laravel for its front-end experience while leveraging the user-friendly WordPress back end for content management.

Integrating Laravel With WordPress

There are two primary methods for integrating Laravel with WordPress: a hands-on manual approach and a specialized plugin. This guide assumes you are already using Laravel.

Using WordPress Corcel

Corcel is a set of PHP model classes that allow developers to retrieve and utilize information directly from WordPress, serving as a bridge between the two platforms. By implementing Corcel, you can use WordPress as the back-end administration system for your Laravel application.

Step 1: Install Corcel Begin by installing Corcel via Composer. You can download it from GitHub. In your terminal, execute the following command:

bashCopy codecomposer require jgrossi/corcel

Step 2: Configure Laravel for Corcel For Laravel 5.5 or later, Corcel will automatically register with Laravel’s AutoDiscovery feature. For earlier versions, manually register Corcel by publishing the configuration file using:

bashCopy codephp artisan vendor:publish --provider="CorcelLaravelCorcelServiceProvider"

This creates a config/corcel.php file for establishing a database connection with WordPress.

Step 3: Set Up Database Connection Open the config/corcel.php file to configure the connection to your WordPress database. This step enables Laravel to access post information and other relevant data from your WordPress database tables.

Step 4: Define Project Parameters Refer to the Corcel documentation for various ways to utilize your integration, allowing you to establish connections for posts, custom post types, shortcodes, taxonomies, custom fields, and more.

Using a Plugin

While we do not recommend most plugins from the WordPress Plugin Directory for Laravel integration due to maintenance issues, there is an alternative solution using a dedicated application.

Step 1: Install WordPress Pete WordPress Pete is an application that functions like a plugin, facilitating integration between Laravel and your WordPress back end. You can try it for free on up to two websites.

To install WordPress Pete on MacOS, use the following command in Terminal:

bashCopy codecurl -o mac_installer.sh -L https://wordpresspete.com/mac_installer.sh && chmod 755 mac_installer.sh && sh mac_installer.sh

Once installed, you’ll be prompted to enter your computer’s admin password.

Step 2: Create a New WordPress Website After installation, navigate to the test site and create a new WordPress website by selecting “Create New WordPress.” Name your installation and designate the project’s URL, then complete the WordPress installation process.

Step 3: Configure WordPress Pete Settings After logging into your new WordPress site, go to the Plugins list to find the Laravel Integration by WordPress Pete, which is automatically installed. Navigate to Settings > Laravel Integration to complete the integration process.

Step 4: Create a New Integration Once configured, you can create a new integration by visiting your WordPress Pete installation. For instance, naming your integration “dashboard” allows you to access it at dashboard.yoururl.com. In your preferred code editor, you can now connect and leverage the combined capabilities of Laravel and Corcel with WordPress.

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Web application development should be efficient and enjoyable. For WordPress developers, responding to user demands with new applications can enhance client satisfaction and drive revenue growth.

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