Laravel keeps routes in the routes/ folder. You'll spend most of your time in two files:

1. Your first route

   A route needs three things: the HTTP method (get), the URL (/hello), and the code to run. Here, the code is a closure (an unnamed function).

   
             <?php
   
             use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;
   
             Route::get('/hello', function () {
                 return 'Hello, Laravel! 👋';
             });
           

   Run php artisan serve and visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/hello. Whatever the closure returns is sent back to the browser.

2. Return a view instead of text

   Real pages are HTML, so you'll usually return a Blade view. view('about') loads resources/views/about.blade.php.

   
             Route::get('/about', function () {
                 return view('about', ['team' => 'Blueprint Crew']);
             });
   
             // Shortcut when there's no logic at all:
             Route::view('/contact', 'contact');
           

   The array passes data to the view. Inside Blade you can now write {{ $team }}.

3. Capture parts of the URL with parameters

   Wrap a URL segment in {curly braces} and Laravel hands its value to your function. Add ? to make a parameter optional, and use a constraint to reject bad input.

   
             Route::get('/posts/{id}', function (string $id) {
                 return "Showing post #{$id}";
             })->whereNumber('id');        // /posts/abc → 404
   
             // Optional parameter with a default value
             Route::get('/greet/{name?}', function (string $name = 'friend') {
                 return "Hi, {$name}!";
             });
   
             Route::get('/users/{user}/posts/{post}', function (string $user, string $post) {
                 return "User {$user}, post {$post}";
             });
           

   ℹ️ Coming later: route model binding

   Once you have models (Module 05), type-hint Post $post instead of string $id. Laravel then fetches the post from the database for you, or returns a 404 automatically.

4. Give routes a name

   A named route is a nickname for a URL. You build links from the name, never by typing the path by hand.

   
             Route::get('/posts/{id}', function (string $id) {
                 // ...
             })->name('posts.show');
           

   
             <a href="{{ route('posts.show', ['id' => 42]) }}">Read post 42</a>
             {{-- renders: /posts/42 --}}
           

   
             return redirect()->route('posts.show', ['id' => 42]);
           

5. Group routes that share settings

   When many routes share a prefix, middleware or controller, group them so you don't repeat yourself.

   
             use App\Http\Controllers\Admin\DashboardController;
   
             Route::prefix('admin')                 // URLs start with /admin
                 ->name('admin.')                   // names start with admin.
                 ->middleware('auth')               // must be logged in
                 ->group(function () {
                     Route::get('/dashboard', [DashboardController::class, 'index'])
                         ->name('dashboard');       // → admin.dashboard, /admin/dashboard
                     Route::get('/reports', [DashboardController::class, 'reports'])
                         ->name('reports');         // → admin.reports, /admin/reports
                 });
           

   Notice [DashboardController::class, 'index']. That's how a route points to a controller method instead of a closure. You'll build controllers in the next lesson.

6. Match the right HTTP verb

   The same URL can do different things depending on the method. Browsers use GET to read and POST to submit forms. The others are used for updating and deleting.

   
             Route::get('/posts', ...);            // list posts
             Route::post('/posts', ...);           // save a new post
             Route::put('/posts/{id}', ...);       // replace a post
             Route::patch('/posts/{id}', ...);     // update part of a post
             Route::delete('/posts/{id}', ...);    // delete a post
   
             Route::match(['get', 'post'], '/search', ...);
             Route::any('/webhook', ...);
           

• Routes live in routes/web.php (pages) and routes/api.php (JSON).
• A route = HTTP method + URL + code to run (closure or controller method).
• {param} captures URL segments; {param?} makes them optional.
• Always name routes and generate links with route('name').
• Groups share prefixes, name prefixes and middleware.
• php artisan route:list is your routing debugger.