One of the features I like most about Laravel is that it comes with Node.js integrated by default. This means that, in a single project, we can have:
- An excellent server-side framework (Laravel).
- Node.js, which is usually used on the client-side (frontend).
This is especially useful in projects with Laravel + Inertia, where we can see several key files:
- package.json: Node.js files that are generated when creating any project with Node.
- composer.json: PHP files managed by Laravel, which control backend dependencies.
If we compare it with other web frameworks, such as Django, Flask, FastAPI or CodeIgniter, they are all excellent, but they do not offer this native integration with Node.js.
Node and Laravel: the best combination
Suppose you want to create a complete project with backend and frontend:
- In frameworks like Django or Flask, you would need to create two independent projects:
- The backend for the administrative part.
- A frontend project in Vue, React or similar, which consumes the backend API.
This implies maintaining two separate projects and communicating them using REST APIs or similar technologies.
With Laravel + Node.js, you can avoid this, since both coexist in a single project, facilitating development and integration.
CDN: option for testing
There is also the option of using the Vue or React CDN, but you would lose many advantages of the Node ecosystem, such as:
- Dependency management with NPM or Yarn.
- Asset compilation and optimization.
- Use of modern frontend development tools.
Therefore, the CDN is usually only used for quick tests, not in serious projects.
Inertia.js: perfect integration
Laravel offers integrations like Inertia.js, which works as a wrapper to use Vue or React directly from Laravel. This allows:
- Merging backend and frontend into a single project.
- Avoiding the need to create two independent projects.
- Keeping the backend logic in Laravel and working the frontend with Vue or React naturally.
In my experience, this integration has gained strength starting with Laravel 12, where when creating a project you are asked if you want to use:
- A clean Laravel installation.
- Laravel + React.
- Laravel + Vue (with Inertia.js).
With Inertia.js, a perfect integration is achieved, although you can also opt for the traditional approach with REST API, where the backend and frontend remain separate projects but communicate through API endpoints.
Integration example
With Inertia.js: Laravel returns a Vue component directly from the server using Inertia::render().
In the classic approach: Laravel acts as an API, and Vue is consumed through calls to the endpoints defined in controllers grouped, for example, in an API folder.
This demonstrates Laravel's flexibility: you can choose between a complete integration in a single project or maintaining a separate backend and frontend based on your needs.