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How to Implement Email Verification in Laravel

October 28, 2024   Laravel

Email verification is a crucial step in ensuring that users register with valid email addresses. Implementing email verification in your Laravel application not only enhances security but also improves user engagement. In this blog post, we'll guide you through the steps to implement email verification in Laravel effectively.

Why Email Verification?

Before diving into the implementation, let’s discuss why email verification is essential:

1. Security: It helps prevent spam registrations and ensures that users have access to the email they register with.
2. User Engagement: Verified users are more likely to engage with your application, leading to better retention rates.
3. Data Integrity: It ensures that the data collected through registrations is accurate.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following before starting:

• A Laravel application set up (preferably Laravel 8 or later).
• A mail service provider (like Mailgun, SendGrid, or SMTP).

Step 1: Set Up Authentication

Laravel makes authentication easy with its built-in scaffolding. To set it up, run:

composer require laravel/ui
php artisan ui bootstrap --auth
npm install
npm run dev

This will generate the necessary authentication routes and views.

Step 2: Enable Email Verification

To enable email verification, you’ll need to implement the MustVerifyEmail interface in your User model. Open app/Models/User.php and modify it as follows:

use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\MustVerifyEmail;

class User extends Authenticatable implements MustVerifyEmail
{
    // Your existing code
}

Step 3: Update Routes

Next, you need to set up the routes for email verification. Open routes/web.php and add the following:

Auth::routes(['verify' => true]);

This enables email verification routes automatically.

Step 4: Create Email Verification Notification

Laravel provides a default notification for email verification. You can customize it if needed. To customize, create a new notification:

php artisan make:notification VerifyEmail

Edit the notification in app/Notifications/VerifyEmail.php to customize the email template.

Step 5: Sending Verification Emails

When a user registers, Laravel will automatically send a verification email. Ensure you have the mail configuration set up in your .env file:

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.mailtrap.io
MAIL_PORT=2525
MAIL_USERNAME=your_username
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=null
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=noreply@yourapp.com
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"

Step 6: Verifying Email

Laravel handles the email verification process automatically. However, you may want to customize the verification notice. You can do this in the VerifyEmailController. Open app/Http/Controllers/Auth/VerificationController.php and modify it according to your needs.

Step 7: Protect Routes

To ensure that only verified users can access certain parts of your application, use the verified middleware in your routes:

Route::middleware(['auth', 'verified'])->group(function () {
    Route::get('/home', [HomeController::class, 'index'])->name('home');
});

Conclusion

Implementing email verification in Laravel is a straightforward process that significantly enhances your application’s security and user experience. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure that your users are registered with valid email addresses, leading to a more secure and engaging platform.

Additional Tips

• Test your email functionality in different environments to ensure deliverability.
• Customize your email templates for better branding.
• Monitor your verification rates and user engagement for further improvements.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to implement email verification in your Laravel application seamlessly. Happy coding!