Laravel 12 Request Lifecycle Explained (2025 Updated Guide for Beginners)

Most junior Laravel developers struggle to explain the Laravel 12 Request Lifecycle — mainly because Laravel 12 introduces one of the biggest internal changes in years:
👉 App\Http\Kernel.php is gone.

If you’re still looking for the Kernel file… stop.
Laravel 12 has changed the way requests are handled, bootstrapped, and routed.

What Is the Laravel Request Lifecycle?

The Request Lifecycle explains how Laravel processes an HTTP request—from the moment it hits your server to the moment a response is sent back to the browser.

Understanding this lifecycle helps you:

• Debug applications faster
• Register and use middleware correctly
• Understand bootstrapping flow
• Build scalable apps
• Prepare for Laravel interviews

Laravel 12 Request Lifecycle (2025 Updated)

1. Request Entry Point (public/index.php)

Every Laravel request still begins with:

public/index.php

This file:

• Receives the incoming request
• Loads Composer autoload
• Bootstraps the Laravel application
• Passes the request to the routing system

Nothing new here — but the next steps are where Laravel 12 becomes very different.

2. Application Bootstrap (bootstrap/app.php)

Laravel loads the core framework using:

bootstrap/app.php

This step:

• Creates the application instance
• Registers service providers
• Loads environment configurations
• Sets up container bindings

In Laravel 12, this file plays a much bigger role because the Kernel no longer manages middleware or pipeline handling.

3. ❌ HTTP Kernel Removed in Laravel 12

In older versions (Laravel 8–11), all HTTP requests passed through:

app/Http/Kernel.php

The Kernel was responsible for:

• Global middleware
• Middleware groups
• Route middleware
• Request pipeline handling

But in Laravel 12…

The Kernel is removed.

Middleware and routing are now handled using:

bootstrap/app.php

app/Providers/RouteServiceProvider.php

This change makes Laravel lighter and more modular, similar to Slim/FastRoute style routing.

4. Middleware Execution (New in Laravel 12)

Laravel 12 still fully supports middleware, but with updated registration flow.

Where is middleware registered now?

You can register middleware in:

bootstrap/app.php

For example:

$app->withMiddleware([
    \App\Http\Middleware\Authenticate::class,
]);

Inside Service Providers

Example in RouteServiceProvider:

Route::middleware('auth')->group(function () {
    //
});

Key Difference

Middleware is no longer processed through the Kernel’s $middlewareGroups or $routeMiddleware.

5. Route Resolution (RouteServiceProvider)

Laravel resolves the route through:

app/Providers/RouteServiceProvider.php

It loads:

• routes/web.php
• routes/api.php
• routes/channels.php
• routes/console.php

Routing is now faster and more direct because there’s no Kernel pipeline in between.

6. Controller or Closure Execution

Once the route is matched:

• Laravel calls the assigned controller method
• Or executes the closure defined in the route

Example:

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

Controllers behave the same way as earlier versions of Laravel — no change here.

7. Response Creation & Return

Finally, the controller returns a response:

• JSON
• Blade view
• Redirect
• Stream
• File response

Laravel converts it into an HTTP response object and sends it back to the browser.

This is the final step in the request lifecycle.

Why Junior Developers Get Confused?

Because:

• They expect to find App\Http\Kernel.php
• They try to register middleware inside the Kernel
• They follow outdated tutorials for Laravel 8, 9, 10, 11
• They don’t understand the new bootstrap-first architecture

Laravel 12 modernizes the framework to be faster, simpler, and more lightweight, but the structure is slightly different.

Laravel 12 Request Lifecycle (Quick Summary)

Final Thoughts: Stay Updated!

Laravel evolves fast — and Laravel 12’s removal of Http\Kernel.php is a major shift.

Most junior developers haven’t caught up yet.
But now you have a clean, simple, SEO-optimized explanation of the entire Laravel 12 Request Lifecycle.

Stay updated, and you stay ahead. 🚀