Common Laravel Bugs and How to Fix Them

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 Laravel is a powerful PHP framework, but even experienced developers encounter bugs from time to time. This article explores some common Laravel bugs, their causes, and how to fix them efficiently.

1. Class Not Found

Error Message:

Target class [ControllerName] does not exist.

Cause:
This typically occurs when the controller class is not properly imported, misspelled, or auto-loading is broken.

Solution:

  • Make sure the controller exists.

  • Correct namespace and file path.

  • Run:


php artisan config:clear
php artisan route:clear
composer dump-autoload

Example Fix:

use App\Http\Controllers\UserController;

// Wrong
Route::get('/users', 'UserController@index');

// Right
Route::get('/users', [UserController::class, 'index']);

2. CSRF Token Mismatch

Error Message:

419 | Page Expired

Cause:
CSRF token is missing, expired, or mismatched in the form submission.

Solution:

  • Ensure @csrf is present in your forms.

  • If using AJAX, include the CSRF token in headers.

Example:

<form method="POST" action="/submit">
    @csrf
    <!-- inputs -->
</form>

AJAX Fix:

$.ajaxSetup({
  headers: {
    'X-CSRF-TOKEN': $('meta[name="csrf-token"]').attr('content')
  }
});

3. Too Many Redirects (Infinite Loop)

Error Message:
Browser displays "Too many redirects" or 302 loop.

Cause:
Incorrect middleware logic, commonly in RedirectIfAuthenticated or session misconfiguration.

Solution:

  • Check login redirects and guard settings.

  • Clear session and route cache.

php artisan route:clear
php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear

Example:
Make sure you’re not redirecting an already authenticated user back to login:

if (Auth::check()) {
    return redirect('/dashboard');
}

4. Mass Assignment Error

Error Message:

Add [column_name] to fillable property to allow mass assignment

Cause:
You’re trying to mass assign a column that is not listed in $fillable.

Solution:
Update your model:

protected $fillable = ['name', 'email', 'password'];

Or disable protection (not recommended):

protected $guarded = [];

5. SQLSTATE[HY000]: General Error: 1364 Field Doesn't Have a Default Value

Error Message:

SQLSTATE[HY000]: General error: 1364 Field 'X' doesn't have a default value

Cause:
Trying to insert data without setting a required column.

Solution:

  • Add default value in migration.

  • Allow nullable() if the field isn’t always required.

$table->string('nickname')->nullable(); // OR
$table->string('status')->default('pending');

6. Failed to Clear Cache / Config

Error Message:

Cannot write to config/cache

Cause:
Permission issue in storage/ or bootstrap/cache/.

Solution:

sudo chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data storage bootstrap/cache

✅ Tips to Avoid Bugs

  • Use php artisan commands regularly (config:clear, route:clear, etc.)

  • Validate all user input using FormRequest.

  • Handle exceptions in app/Exceptions/Handler.php.

  • Write unit and feature tests using php artisan make:test.

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