Laravel 13 vs Laravel 12 – What Changed?

Laravel 13 vs Laravel 12 – Complete Detailed Comparison

Laravel continues its yearly major release cycle, and with Laravel 13, the framework moves forward with modernization and internal improvements.

If you're currently using Laravel 12 (which you are actively building tutorials with), this guide will help you clearly understand:

• What changed

• What improved

• What was removed

• What you need to upgrade

• Whether you should upgrade now

1️⃣ Release Timeline & Support Policy

Laravel 12

• Release Date: February 2025

• Bug Fixes: 18 months

• Security Fixes: 2 years

Laravel 13

• Release Date: Early 2026

• Bug Fixes: 18 months

• Security Fixes: 2 years

What Changed?

Nothing major in lifecycle policy. Laravel continues the annual major release structure.

2️⃣ Minimum PHP Version Requirement

This is one of the biggest changes.

Version	Minimum PHP
Laravel 12	PHP 8.2
Laravel 13	PHP 8.3

What This Means

Laravel 13 requires PHP 8.3.
If your server is still running PHP 8.2, you must upgrade before installing Laravel 13.

⚠ Impact

• Shared hosting users may need hosting upgrades

• Docker environments must update base images

• CI/CD pipelines may need adjustment

This is the most important upgrade requirement.

3️⃣ Core Philosophy Difference

Laravel 12 Focus

• Developer experience

• Starter kits

• Frontend integration

• Real-world improvements

• Tooling enhancements

Laravel 13 Focus

• Internal modernization

• PHP 8.3 feature adoption

• Code clarity

• Performance refinement

• Cleaner framework internals

Laravel 13 is less about flashy features and more about clean architecture and long-term stability.

4️⃣ New Features in Laravel 13

4.1 Native PHP Attributes Support

Laravel 13 expands support for PHP 8 attributes.

Instead of defining properties the traditional way:

protected $table = 'users';
protected $primaryKey = 'id';

You can now use PHP attributes:

#[Table('users')]
class User extends Model
{
}

Why This Matters

• Cleaner syntax

• Less boilerplate

• More modern PHP style

• Better IDE support

This aligns Laravel with modern PHP ecosystem standards.

4.2 Cache::touch() Method

New method added:

Cache::touch('user_session');

What It Does

• Extends the TTL (Time To Live) of a cache key

• Without retrieving or rewriting the value

Why It’s Useful

Perfect for:

• Session-like data

• Activity tracking

• Keeping active user sessions alive

This improves performance because it avoids unnecessary cache writes.

4.3 Routing Improvements

Laravel 13 improves subdomain route priority handling.

Example

Before:

Route::get('/', function () {});
Route::domain('{account}.example.com')->group(...);

Now:

• Subdomain routes are prioritized properly

• Fewer unexpected route collisions

• Better support for multi-tenant applications

Why This Matters

If you are building SaaS or multi-tenant apps, routing becomes more predictable.

4.4 Model Boot Safety Improvements

Laravel 13 prevents certain unsafe model instantiations during the boot() process.

Why?

To avoid:

• Infinite loops

• Unexpected model loading behavior

• Hard-to-debug lifecycle issues

This improves stability in large applications.

4.5 Testing Improvements

Laravel 13 improves:

• Job event payload structure

• Resetting internal string factories between tests

• Better isolation in testing environment

Result

• More predictable test behavior

• Fewer flaky tests

• Cleaner unit and feature testing

4.6 Dependency Upgrades

Laravel 13 updates internal components such as Symfony dependencies to newer versions.

Benefits:

• Better performance

• Long-term security support

• Modern internal architecture

This is mostly internal but very important for long-term maintainability.

5️⃣ What Stayed the Same?

Laravel 13 keeps:

• Eloquent ORM

• Blade templating

• Queue system

• Event system

• Middleware structure

• Service container

• Artisan CLI

• Migration structure

No drastic structural changes.

Your Laravel 12 knowledge still applies.

6️⃣ Breaking Changes

The most significant breaking change:

PHP 8.3 is required

Other breaking changes are minimal and mostly internal.

Laravel 13 is designed to be a smooth upgrade from Laravel 12.

7️⃣ Performance Comparison

Laravel 13 improves:

• Internal routing resolution

• Cache handling

• Testing isolation

• Dependency optimization

While Laravel 12 was already fast, Laravel 13 focuses on incremental performance refinement.

8️⃣ Should You Upgrade?

Upgrade Immediately If:

• You are starting a new project

• You can run PHP 8.3

• You want latest long-term support

Wait If:

• Your production server is locked to PHP 8.2

• Your application depends on third-party packages not yet compatible

• Your app is stable and mission-critical

For most developers, upgrading is recommended once your environment supports PHP 8.3.

9️⃣ Final Summary Table

Feature	Laravel 12	Laravel 13
PHP Version	8.2	8.3
Attributes	Limited	Expanded
Cache Improvements	Basic async	Cache::touch()
Routing	Stable	Improved subdomain priority
Testing	Strong	More isolated
Internal Modernization	Moderate	Advanced
Breaking Changes	Minimal	Mainly PHP version

Final Verdict

Laravel 12 focused on developer tools and ecosystem improvements.

Laravel 13 focuses on modernization, cleaner architecture, and long-term maintainability.

If Laravel 12 was about improving developer experience,
Laravel 13 is about strengthening the foundation.