Go from

idea

to

app

with the power of PHP and Laravel

SaaS design essentials

What does a typical SaaS application look like from an overall point of view?

Planning our database schema

Laying out a cohesive data structure will make the rest of the build go much smoother.

Creating models in Laravel

In order to represent our application data in Laravel, we need to build model classes.

Thinking in full-stack

Instead of having a separate frontend and backend application, we can build both in the same language.

UI kits and libraries

We can use some pre-built component packages to speed up our development and design process.

Setting up Laravel and initial configuration

Getting started with a fresh Laravel project and some default settings.

Basic routes and controllers

Creating the main paths and functions used throughout our application.

Adding user registration and login

Thanks to a first-party package, we can include authentication and authorization in just a few steps.

Adding test data with factories

With factory classes, we can add repeatable and predictable test data to our created models.

CRUD operations with the Eloquent ORM

Let's learn how to use Laravel's Eloquent ORM to retrieve, sort, and filter our application's data.

Building views with Blade templates

Now that we have our data, we need a way to display it on the frontend

Form handling and validation

Forms are used throughout this application, and we need to make sure the correct data is used in them.

File uploads and management

Including file uploads means we have to store (and retrieve) them somewhere.

Middleware usage to guard routes

We don't want unauthenticated users accessing parts of our application, let's protect against that.

Adding payment processing

We want to charge money for our application, so we'll include Stripe to accept payments.

Adding search and filters

We want our users to be able to easily pick out data from a larger set.

Email and in-app notifications

Alerts can be sent out whenever an event is triggered, like a new appointment request.

Automated drip marketing

Schedule and send a series of emails at particular points in time.

Setting up roles and permissions

Fine-tune who can access particular routes or pieces of your application.

Using queues for background processes

Offload long-running processes to the background for a faster user experience.

Integrating AI features

AI is all the rage, let's add ChatGPT to help improve user's productivity.

Subscription vs credit-based payment methods

Instead of a regular monthly payment, charge your customers based on app usage.

Adding automated tests

Test suites provide confidence when making large changes to our app, by ensuring nothing breaks.

Prepping our application for deployment

There's a few things we need to do before pushing our application up to the internet.

Deploying on a VPS

The more traditional route, our application is hosted on something like a DigitalOcean droplet.

Deploying on Forge

Still traditional but with a helping hand courtesy of Laravel's server management software.

Deploying on AWS Serverless

Putting our app on the cloud with the help of AWS Lambda and Bref.

Setting up CI/CD pipelines for automated deployments

After each code change, our tests will run automatically and our application will be re-deployed.

Securing your production application

There's a few potential pitfalls to watch out for when you have an application open to the public.

Monitoring and logging

You'll want to be the first to know when your app breaks or a user experiences a bug.

Tips for optimizing performance

As your application grows, refactoring some parts can help cut down on resource usage.

Database optimization

Data retrieval in particular can take a toll on response time, but there's a few tips to combat that.

Handling traffic spikes

What to do if your app goes viral or gets hit with a wave of bot traffic.

Graceful error handling

Your users should probably never see the default exception page.

Caching strategies

Caching heavy responses can save a ton of resources, and the browser can help too.

Adding rate limiting

Slow down, some parts of our application shouldn't experience high traffic.

Common deployment issues

Whether we're using a VPS or serverless, problems can crop up during a deployment.

Managing Composer dependencies

Learn how to upgrade out-of-date packages with PHP's package manager of choice.

Applying security patches

Security updates are fairly common on VPS operating systems and core PHP binaries.

Refactoring and maintaining clean code

Maintaining a tidy code base makes adding new features and functionalities much smoother.

Monitoring application health

From database execution to app response, keep track of your app's vitals.

Blog platform

A writing platform and light CMS that lets users craft articles and view comments.

E-commerce store

A basic online storefront with products, categories, and a shopping cart.

Conclusion and next steps

Where do you go from here, and what else is there to learn?

This course is aimed towards a few different groups of people. Existing PHP or Laravel developers might be interested in seeing how a real-world SaaS application is built. JavaScript or Ruby programmers can watch how a PHP full-stack framework like Laravel works, and this course provides a slower-paced practical example of it in action. Finally, entrepreneurs and savvy industry folks who want to build their own applications can follow this course and come out at the end with a full-fledge SaaS app that can be sold to eager customers.

All videos are recorded in QHD (2560x1440) and 60fps and can be either streamed or downloaded in full. Once purchased, you have full access to the videos and code forever.

It's recommended that you have a modest grasp of programming, more specifically web development. Knowledge of the PHP language isn't particularly necessary, but will be helpful in understanding some of the lower-level concepts in the Laravel framework.

Yes! There are a few videos in this course that can be viewed for free. In the course contents list above, any that have a "free" tag next to them can be clicked on to view free of charge. (Not available until release)

Yes, the option to select your country should be available when purchasing the course for a PPP discount. If it's not there, feel free to send me an email at me@aschmelyun.com.

I'd be sorry to hear that! If for any reason you're not satisfied with the course, feel free to send an email to me@aschmelyun.com and I will issue a full refund.