Laravel upgrade checklist

• Run php artisan about and record the Laravel, PHP and driver versions in production.
• Note the PHP version for web, CLI, cron and queue workers separately. They can differ.
• Save composer.lock and the output of composer outdated --direct.
• Run composer audit and note any known advisories.
• List the database and cache engines and their versions. Check them against the target release.
• List every integration: payment, email, ERP, CRM, webhooks, scheduled imports.
• Write down the flows that must not break, and who in the business can confirm each one.

• Check support dates on our Laravel versions page and aim for the latest supported release.
• Confirm your hosting offers a PHP version that target accepts.
• Run composer why-not laravel/framework ^13.0 to list blocking packages.
• For each blocker, decide whether to update, replace or fork it.
• Read the official upgrade guide for every version on the route, in order, and mark the items that apply.

• Bring the current test suite to green before changing anything, so failures later mean something.
• Add tests or scripted checks for any critical flow with no coverage.
• Set up a staging environment matching production PHP, database and queue configuration.
• Take a backup and restore it somewhere to prove that it works.
• Agree who decides on a rollback, and on what signal.

• If PHP has to move, release that separately first where you can.
• Work on a branch and take one major version at a time, committing at each stop.
• Update first-party packages along with the framework. Some, such as Sanctum and Passport, have their own upgrade guides.
• Compare your config files with the laravel/laravel repository, and adopt changes deliberately rather than copying them whole.
• Replace deprecated names you find along the way, while the code is open.
• Run the static analysis and code style tools you already use.

• Run php artisan migrate --pretend against a copy of production to read the SQL before it runs.
• Compare figures from the old and new versions for invoices, totals, tax and report outputs.
• Check date calculations. Carbon 3 changes what diffIn* methods return.
• Check cached data and sessions written by the old version can still be read by the new one.
• Process a queued job created by the old version, as jobs may be waiting during the release.
• Exercise integrations against sandboxes, including inbound webhooks.
• Have the people named in step 1 confirm their flows on staging.

• Choose a window with low traffic and people available, including someone from the business.
• Take a fresh backup immediately before you start.
• Run the deployment as rehearsed on staging, with any zero-downtime configuration you normally use.
• Run php artisan optimize and restart long-running services with php artisan reload.
• Check /up or your configured health route, then walk through the critical flows in production.
• Keep the previous release ready to restore until you are satisfied.

• Watch error logs, failed jobs, sign-ins and payment success rates against your normal levels.
• Check scheduled tasks ran, including weekly and month-end ones when they fall due.
• Record new deprecation notices and schedule them.
• Remove compatibility shims, old branches and retired packages.
• Put the next support end date in the calendar, so the next upgrade isn’t a surprise.

For the details of a particular step, read our guides to Laravel 12 to 13 and moving off PHP 8.1. If you want the work done, our upgrade service is priced after a free assessment. To keep up afterwards, our maintenance plan at USD 99/month, invoiced in the customer's local currency, covers framework, package and PHP updates.