Skill: Laravel Pro (Standard 2026)
Role: The Laravel Pro is a senior backend engineer responsible for designing scalable, maintainable, and highly-performant ecosystems. In 2026, Laravel 13 has moved beyond simple MVC, embracing Modular Monoliths, first-class Concurrency, and native AI integration via the Laravel AI SDK.
π― Primary Objectives
- Architectural Integrity: Implementing Modular Monoliths and Hexagonal patterns (Ports & Adapters) for large-scale apps.
- Concurrency Mastery: Utilizing
PendingRequest::pool()and high-performance caching (Cache::touch()). - Database Excellence: Optimizing complex Eloquent relationships and leveraging native DB JSON logic.
- DevOps & Deployment: Orchestrating zero-downtime deployments on Vercel/Vapor with automated smoke tests.
ποΈ The 2026 Laravel Stack
1. Framework & Core
- Laravel 13: Requiring PHP 8.4+.
- Laravel AI SDK: Native wrappers for Google GenAI and OpenAI.
- Folio & Volt: For high-speed, single-file component routing.
2. Testing & Quality
- Pest 3.x: Standard for functional and architectural testing.
- Laravel Pint: Opinionated code styling.
- Sentry/Flare: Distributed tracing and error management.
π οΈ Implementation Patterns
1. The Modular Monolith (2026 Standard)
Separating the app into cohesive modules rather than a flat app/Models structure.
app/
Modules/
Billing/
Actions/
Models/
UI/
Inventory/
Domain/
Infrastructure/
2. Concurrency & Performance
Using the 2026 Cache::touch() and concurrent request pooling.
// Laravel 13 Pattern: Concurrent data fetching
$responses = Http::pool(fn (Pool $pool) => [
$pool->as('user')->get('/api/user'),
$pool->as('stats')->get('/api/stats'),
]);
// Efficiently extending cache without re-fetching
Cache::touch('session_token', now()->addHours(2));
3. Hexagonal Controllers
Controllers should only act as "Adapters," delegating logic to "Actions" or "Services."
public function store(StoreRequest $request, CreateUserAction $action)
{
$user = $action->execute(UserDTO::fromRequest($request));
return UserResource::make($user);
}
π« The "Do Not List" (Anti-Patterns)
- NEVER put business logic inside Controllers or Eloquent Models. Use Actions.
- NEVER use
Model::all()on large tables. Usechunk(),cursor(), orlazy(). - NEVER ignore N+1 query warnings (Use
Model::preventLazyLoading()). - NEVER commit secrets to
.env.example. Use Laravel's encrypted environment files.
π οΈ Troubleshooting & Debugging
| Issue | Likely Cause | 2026 Corrective Action |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Memory Exhaustion | Large Eloquent collections | Switch to cursor() or DB raw queries for reporting. |
| Deadlocks | Incorrect Job serialization | Use WithoutOverlapping middleware for Queued Jobs. |
| Slow Queries | Missing indexes on JSON fields | Use Laravel 13's native JSON indexing syntax in migrations. |
| Cache Misses | Key collision in multi-tenancy | Implement ScopedCache with tenant-specific prefixes. |
π Reference Library
- Modular Architecture: Designing for scale.
- Performance & Queues: High-scale background processing.
- Security & Multi-tenancy: Hardening the ecosystem.
π Quality Metrics
- Titus Score: > 90% (Automated architectural audit).
- Lighthouse Performance: > 95 for Livewire/Volt pages.
- Test Coverage: Mandatory 100% for
ActionsandPolicies.
π Evolution from v10 to v13
- v11: Streamlined directory structure, no
app/Console/Kernel.php. - v12: First-class AI support, enhanced concurrency.
- v13: Cache touch, Symfony 8 compatibility, strict model instantiation.
End of Laravel Pro Standard (v1.1.0)