Laravel is a powerful PHP framework that is widely used for web application development. It comes with a rich set of features and tools that make it easy for developers to build robust and scalable web applications. One of these features is the ability to use NPM to build applications for production. In this article, we will explore how to do a Laravel NPM build for production with code examples.
What is NPM?
Node Package Manager (NPM) is a package manager for JavaScript. It allows you to easily install, manage, and update third-party packages and dependencies in your application. NPM contains thousands of packages that can be used to add functionality to your web applications.
Why Use NPM Build for Production?
When building a web application, there are several steps involved in preparing it for production. One of these steps is the build process, which involves bringing all the assets together and optimizing them for performance.
Using NPM for building your web application for production offers several benefits, including:
-
Smaller File Sizes – NPM is excellent at minimizing file sizes that result in faster load times and reduced bandwidth usage.
-
Better Performance – NPM makes sure that tasks like minification, compression, and concatenation are carried out as efficiently as possible.
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Consistent Builds – NPM makes it easy to create a consistent build process across various operating systems.
How to Build Laravel NPM for Production
To build a Laravel NPM for production, follow these simple steps:
Step 1 – Installing Node and NPM
To use NPM in Laravel, you need to install Node.js and NPM. So, ensure that both are installed using the following commands:
curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_14.x | sudo -E bash –
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
Step 2 – Create Laravel project
Create a new Laravel project using the following command:
composer create-project –prefer-dist laravel/laravel my-project
Step 3 – Install Laravel UI
Next, install the Laravel UI package, which will give you a user authentication system. Run this command to install:
composer require laravel/ui
Step 4 – Generate Auth
Use the following command to generate the authentication scaffolding:
php artisan ui vue –auth
Step 5 – Install NPM dependencies
Install the NPM packages needed for the project using this command:
npm install
Step 6 – Build the project
Finally, run the following command to build the Laravel NPM for production:
npm run production
This command will carry out several tasks like concatenating, minifying, and optimizing your project's CSS and JavaScript files.
Laravel NPM Build Production with Code Examples
Here are some code examples to help you understand better how to Laravel NPM build for production:
- Minifying the CSS and JS files
To minify the CSS and JS files in your application, open the webpack.mix.js file and add the following lines of code:
mix.js('resources/js/app.js', 'public/js')
.sass('resources/sass/app.scss', 'public/css')
.minify('public/js/app.js')
.minify('public/css/app.css');
The minify() method is used to minify the JS and CSS files.
- Removing unused CSS
To remove unused CSS from your application, use the PurgeCSS package. Install it using the following command:
npm install laravel-mix-purgecss –D
Now, add the following lines of code to your webpack.mix.js file:
let mix = require('laravel-mix');
let purgeCss = require('laravel-mix-purgecss');
mix.js('resources/js/app.js', 'public/js')
.sass('resources/sass/app.scss', 'public/css')
.purgeCss({
content: [
'app//*.php',
'resources//.html',
'resources/**/.js',
'resources/**/*.vue'
],
})
.version();
The purgeCss() method will remove any unused CSS from your project.
Conclusion
Laravel NPM build for production is an essential step to ensure that your web application is optimized for performance. Using NPM to build your Laravel application for production can offer several benefits, including smaller file sizes, better performance, and consistent builds. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily Laravel NPM build your web application for production.
I'd be happy to provide more information on the topics covered in my previous article.
Node Package Manager (NPM)
NPM is a package manager for JavaScript that allows developers to manage dependencies and packages in their applications. NPM simplifies the process of managing and maintaining third-party packages by providing a centralized database of packages, along with the tools to install, update, and remove them.
In Laravel, NPM is used to manage packages and dependencies for the frontend of the application, including JavaScript, CSS, and other assets. Using NPM, developers can add features like Vue.js, React, and other popular frameworks to their Laravel application.
NPM is easy to use and offers several benefits, including quick installation and updates, automatic dependency management, and version control for packages.
Laravel UI Package
The Laravel UI package is a composer package that provides an easy way to install and manage the authentication scaffolding in Laravel. Using the Laravel UI package, developers can easily add user authentication features to their Laravel application.
The Laravel UI package provides several options for authentication scaffolding, including Bootstrap, Vue, and React. To install the Laravel UI package, you can use the composer require command followed by the –dev flag to install it as a development dependency.
Laravel Mix
Laravel Mix is a webpack wrapper around the Laravel framework that simplifies the process of creating and managing assets for Laravel applications. Laravel Mix allows developers to compile, concatenate, and minify their assets while providing a simple and intuitive API.
Laravel Mix supports several popular frontend tools and frameworks, including Sass, Less, and React. By default, Laravel Mix comes with support for compiling and optimizing JavaScript and CSS files.
To use Laravel Mix in your Laravel application, simply install it using the npm install command, and then create a webpack.mix.js file in the root directory of your application.
Conclusion
Laravel NPM build for production is a crucial step in ensuring that your web application is optimized for performance. By using the Node Package Manager (NPM) and Laravel Mix, developers can easily manage and maintain their application dependencies and assets, providing a fast and reliable user experience.
The Laravel UI package simplifies the process of adding user authentication features to your application, while PurgeCSS helps in optimizing CSS files by removing any unused styles. By following the steps provided in the previous article, developers can quickly build a production-ready Laravel application with NPM build.
Popular questions
- What is NPM, and how does it relate to Laravel?
NPM is a package manager for JavaScript that allows developers to manage packages and dependencies in their applications. In Laravel, NPM is used to manage packages and dependencies for the frontend of the application, including JavaScript, CSS, and other assets. Using NPM, developers can add features like Vue.js, React, and other popular frameworks to their Laravel application.
- What is the benefit of using NPM for building a Laravel application for production?
Using NPM for building your web application for production offers several benefits, including smaller file sizes, better performance, and consistent builds. NPM makes sure that tasks like minification, compression, and concatenation are carried out as efficiently as possible.
- What is the Laravel UI package, and what does it do?
The Laravel UI package is a composer package that provides an easy way to install and manage the authentication scaffolding in Laravel. Using the Laravel UI package, developers can easily add user authentication features to their Laravel application. The Laravel UI package provides several options for authentication scaffolding, including Bootstrap, Vue, and React.
- What is Laravel Mix, and how is it used in a Laravel application?
Laravel Mix is a webpack wrapper around the Laravel framework that simplifies the process of creating and managing assets for Laravel applications. It allows developers to compile, concatenate, and minify their assets while providing a simple and intuitive API. To use Laravel Mix in a Laravel application, developers can install it using the npm install command and create a webpack.mix.js file in the root directory of the application.
- How does PurgeCSS optimize CSS files in a Laravel application?
PurgeCSS is a tool that removes unused CSS from a web application, resulting in smaller file sizes and improved performance. In a Laravel application, PurgeCSS can be installed using the laravel-mix-purgecss npm package. Developers can then specify the content files to be analyzed for unused CSS using the purgeCss() method in webpack.mix.js. Once analyzed, PurgeCSS removes any unused styles, optimizing the CSS file.
Tag
LaravelBuild
