Laravel Setup After Installation (Complete Checklist 2026)

Introduction

So you’ve just installed a fresh Laravel project, great. But what next?

Many developers get stuck here. The app runs, but things are not fully configured, leading to errors later.

This guide gives you a complete post-installation checklist to properly set up your Laravel project for development or production.

1. Configure Environment File (.env)

The first thing you should do is update your .env file.

cp .env.example .env
php artisan key:generate

Now update:

APP_NAME
APP_URL
APP_ENV (local/production)
APP_DEBUG (true for dev, false for production)

2. Set Up Database Connection

Update database credentials in .env:

DB_DATABASE=your_db
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=secret

Then run:

php artisan migrate

This creates all default tables.

3. Install Dependencies

Make sure all dependencies are installed:

composer install
npm install

Compile frontend assets:

npm run dev

4. Configure Application URL

Set the correct URL:

APP_URL=http://localhost:8000

For production, use your domain.

5. Set Folder Permissions (Very Important)

Laravel requires write access to certain folders:

chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache

Or:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data storage bootstrap/cache

6. Link Storage (For File Uploads)

php artisan storage:link

This allows public access to uploaded files.

7. Clear and Cache Config

Run these commands to avoid weird bugs:

php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan route:clear
php artisan view:clear

For production:

php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache

8. Set Up Queue (Optional but Recommended)

If your app uses jobs:

php artisan queue:work

For production, use Supervisor.

9. Set Timezone and Locale

In config/app.php:

'timezone' => 'Asia/Kolkata',
'locale' => 'en',

10. Enable Debugging Tools (Development Only)

Install Laravel Debugbar:

composer require barryvdh/laravel-debugbar --dev

11. Version Control (Git Setup)

Initialize git if not already:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

Make sure .env is in .gitignore.

12. Test Your Application

Start server:

php artisan serve

Visit:

http://127.0.0.1:8000

Make sure everything loads correctly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting php artisan key:generate
Wrong DB credentials
Not setting folder permissions
Leaving APP_DEBUG=true in production
Not caching config in production

Final Thoughts

Setting up Laravel properly after installation saves hours of debugging later.

Follow this checklist every time you start a new project, and you’ll avoid most beginner mistakes.

Laravel Project Setup After Installation (Complete Checklist for Beginners)