Laravel developers build web applications that are secure, scalable, and easy to maintain. Whether you're a startup founder building a minimum viable product (MVP) or an enterprise manager upgrading legacy systems, finding the right Laravel developer is a major step in your operations. This guide covers what to look for, typical costs, and how to find qualified Laravel talent.
What does a Laravel developer do?
Laravel developers build, test, and maintain web applications using the popular Laravel PHP framework. Their expertise lies in leveraging Laravel's architectural patterns and built-in tools to create efficient, secure, and scalable software.
At a high level, a Laravel developer designs the architecture of your web application using the model-view-controller (MVC) pattern, ensuring that data handling, user interface, and application logic remain distinct for cleaner, more maintainable code.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Database management and migration. Using Eloquent ORM to interact with databases and managing schemas through Laravel migrations, which act as version control for your database.
- Command-line automation with Artisan. Using Laravel's built-in CLI to automate repetitive tasks including generating boilerplate code, managing migrations, and running unit tests.
- API development and integration. Building RESTful APIs that allow your application to communicate with mobile apps or third-party services like Stripe, Twilio, or AWS.
- Implementing security protocols. Implementing native security features including authentication systems, CSRF protection, and built-in encryption services.
- Testing and optimization. Writing tests using PHPUnit and optimizing performance using caching mechanisms and job queues.
Common projects include custom web application development, legacy system migrations, RESTful API creation, and ongoing maintenance for production applications.
How to hire a Laravel developer on Upwork
While Upwork makes it easy to find, vet, and hire Laravel developers who match your technical needs and project timeline, a structured approach to finding talent will help ensure you identify candidates with the right mix of technical expertise and professional reliability for your project. Just follow these four simple steps.
Step 1: Post a job
A well-crafted job post is your first opportunity to attract qualified Laravel developers who match your project's technical requirements. In your job post:
- Outline your project requirements and desired Laravel version
- Briefly describe your industry and company
- Specify any accompanying technologies like Vue.js, React, MySQL, or Redis
- Cover logistics such as your timeline and budget
To create a tailored job post quickly, try the Job Post Generator powered by Uma™, Upwork’s Mindful AI. Describe what you need in a few sentences, and Uma will craft a job post in seconds. You can also review job description templates and examples for ideas and inspiration, as well as PHP developer job description templates.
Step 2: Evaluate proposals
When evaluating proposals, you’ll want to look beyond surface-level qualifications to find past experience in projects similar to yours.
- Have Uma give instant video interviews and side-by-side comparisons
- Use Upwork’s filters to find candidates by rate, location, and experience
- Review proposals for signs that the candidate has understood your job post and has the skills to meet your needs
- Review portfolios specifically for Laravel projects that mirror your own project's complexity and feature set
- Check linked GitHub profiles for clean, well-documented code and adherence to PSR standards
Step 3: Interview your top choices
The interview stage provides an opportunity for you to assess how candidates think through complex challenges and communicate technical concepts.
- Schedule and conduct interviews within Upwork messaging to get instant transcripts and summaries from Uma
- Ask the candidates to walk you through past work from their portfolio, focusing on aspects that are similar to your project and challenges they overcame
- Discuss technical facets that are specific to Laravel and your project
- Talk through their preferred Laravel packages and development tools to ensure compatibility with your stack.
To prepare for your conversations, consider reviewing common interview questions for freelancers. You can also review PHP developer interview questions.
Step 4: Agree on scope and begin work
Once you’ve found the right person, you can send a contract directly through the Upwork marketplace. A solid contract protects both parties and helps collaborations be successful from beginning to end.
- Use Upwork's contract workroom, messaging, and payment protection for secure collaboration
- Choose fixed-price contracts for projects with clear deliverables, such as a simple user authentication setup or basic API integration
- Break large projects into milestones, such as planning, development, testing and optimization, and final handoff
- Choose hourly contracts for ongoing work or projects without clear deliverables, such as ongoing monitoring, optimization, and bug fixes
Upwork is not affiliated with and does not sponsor or endorse any of the tools or services discussed in this article. These tools and services are provided only as potential options, and each reader and company should take the time needed to adequately analyze and determine the tools or services that would best fit their specific needs and situation.
The rates and information provided in this article are based on current data and industry sources available at the time of publication. Freelance rates can vary depending on factors such as experience, location, project scope, and market conditions. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research to confirm current rates and trends, as this information may change over time.