How to Create a Laravel-based Content Management System (CMS)

Introduction

Laravel is a powerful PHP framework well-suited for building scalable and feature-rich web applications — including custom Content Management Systems (CMS). With its expressive syntax, robust MVC structure, and built-in tools, Laravel makes CMS development intuitive and secure.

In this article, we’ll walk through how to create a Laravel-based CMS, covering essential components such as authentication, content models, admin panels, and more.

🧩 Why Use Laravel for a CMS?

• Modular structure: Easy to organize features and functionality.
• Built-in authentication: Secure and fast setup.
• Eloquent ORM: Simplifies database operations.
• Blade templates: Clean and maintainable views.

1. Set Up Laravel Project

✅ Create a new Laravel app:

composer create-project laravel/laravel cms-project

✅ Configure .env:

DB_DATABASE=cms
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=your_password

Then run:

php artisan migrate

2. Implement User Authentication

✅ Use Laravel Breeze or Jetstream:

composer require laravel/breeze
php artisan breeze:install
npm install && npm run dev
php artisan migrate

This provides registration, login, password reset, and session handling.

3. Create Content Models and Migrations

✅ Create a “Post” model:

php artisan make:model Post -m

✅ In the migration file:

$table->string('title');
$table->text('body');
$table->string('slug')->unique();
$table->boolean('published')->default(false);

Run:

php artisan migrate

4. Build the Admin Panel

✅ Generate controller and views:

php artisan make:controller Admin/PostController --resource

✅ Example routes (in web.php):

Route::middleware(['auth'])->prefix('admin')->name('admin.')->group(function () {
  Route::resource('posts', Admin\PostController::class);
});

Use Blade views like admin/posts/index.blade.php for listing and editing content.

5. Create Public Routes and Frontend

✅ Define routes for public content:

Route::get('/', [PostController::class, 'index']);
Route::get('/{slug}', [PostController::class, 'show']);

✅ Example display logic:

public function index() {
  $posts = Post::where('published', true)->latest()->get();
  return view('posts.index', compact('posts'));
}

6. Add Rich Text Editor for Admin Panel

✅ Integrate editors like TinyMCE or CKEditor:

<script src="https://cdn.tiny.cloud/1/no-api-key/tinymce/6/tinymce.min.js"></script>
<script>
  tinymce.init({ selector:'textarea#body' });
</script>

7. Add Media Uploads

✅ Update migration to support image upload:

$table->string('featured_image')->nullable();

✅ Handle file upload in controller:

if ($request->hasFile('featured_image')) {
  $filename = $request->file('featured_image')->store('images');
  $post->featured_image = $filename;
}

8. Add Categories or Tags (Optional)

✅ Create Category model:

php artisan make:model Category -m

✅ Define relationships:

// In Post.php
public function category() {
  return $this->belongsTo(Category::class);
}

9. Add Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

✅ Use packages like spatie/laravel-permission:

composer require spatie/laravel-permission
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Spatie\Permission\PermissionServiceProvider"
php artisan migrate

Assign roles like “admin”, “editor”, “viewer” for controlled access.

10. Deploy Your CMS

• Set up on a server or use services like Laravel Forge or Ploi.
• Configure environment variables and database.
• Run php artisan config:cache and php artisan migrate --force.

🧠 Conclusion

Building a CMS with Laravel is a practical way to learn the framework and produce a fully customizable content platform. By leveraging Eloquent, Blade, built-in authentication, and Artisan, you can construct a fast, secure, and flexible CMS tailored to your project’s needs.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Use Laravel’s built-in tools to speed up CMS development.
• Structure content and user roles clearly for scalability.
• Add rich text editing, media uploads, and categories for real-world functionality.

With Laravel, you’re not just creating a CMS — you’re crafting a tailored experience. 🚀