How to Pass Data to Blade Views in Laravel (Best Methods)

Passing data from a Laravel controller to a Blade view is a core part of building dynamic web applications using the Laravel MVC framework. Whether you're sending a single variable or an array of data, Laravel offers multiple methods like compact(), with(), and direct associative arrays. In this guide, you’ll learn the best way to pass data to Blade views in Laravel, understand the difference between compact vs with in Laravel, and explore how to send data to views in Laravel 12 and beyond.

Laravel provides several convenient ways to pass data from your controllers to your Blade views. In this post, we'll explore the most common methods and how to access the passed data in your Blade templates.

Methods to Pass Data to Views

1. Using the with() Method

The with() method allows you to pass a single variable to the view.

Controller:

public function index()
{
    return view('welcome')->with('title', 'Welcome to My Blog');
}

Blade Access:

<h1>{{ $title }}</h1>

Use Cases:

• Passing a single, simple value to the view
• Quick prototyping or testing
• When you need to be explicit about a single variable

2. Passing an Array of Data

You can pass multiple variables as an associative array.

Controller:

public function index()
{
    return view('welcome', [
        'title' => 'Welcome Page',
        'description' => 'This is the welcome page description'
    ]);
}

Blade Access:

<h1>{{ $title }}</h1>
<p>{{ $description }}</p>

Use Cases:

• Passing several related values that don't need processing
• Simple pages with limited dynamic content
• When all data can be defined in the return statement

3. Using the compact() Function

The compact() function creates an array from existing variables.

Controller:

public function index()
{
    $title = 'Compact Example';
    $posts = Post::all();
    $user = auth()->user();
    
    return view('welcome', compact('title', 'posts', 'user'));
}

Blade Access:

<h1>{{ $title }}</h1>

@foreach($posts as $post)
    <div>{{ $post->title }}</div>
@endforeach

<p>Welcome, {{ $user->name }}</p>

Use Cases:

• When you already have variables defined in your method
• Passing model collections or query results
• When variable names should match between controller and view
• Working with Eloquent results or complex data

4. Using the view() Helper with Multiple with() Calls

You can chain multiple with() methods.

Controller:

public function index()
{
    return view('welcome')
           ->with('title', 'Multiple With Methods')
           ->with('posts', Post::all());
}

Blade Access:

<h1>{{ $title }}</h1>

<ul>
@foreach($posts as $post)
    <li>{{ $post->title }}</li>
@endforeach
</ul>

Use Cases:

• When you want to clearly separate different data assignments
• When different data comes from different sources
• For better code readability in complex controllers

5. Sharing Data with All Views (Global Data)

For data that needs to be available to all views, use view composers or share the data in a service provider.

AppServiceProvider:

public function boot()
{
    view()->share('siteName', 'My Awesome Blog');
}

Blade Access (available in all views):

<footer>
    &copy; {{ date('Y') }} {{ $siteName }}
</footer>

Use Cases:

• Site-wide data like company name, default meta tags
• User authentication status
• Settings that appear on every page
• Data needed in layout files

Best Practices

1. Be explicit: Pass only the data that the view needs
2. Keep controllers lean: Consider using view composers for complex data requirements
3. Name variables clearly: Use descriptive names for your view variables
4. Consider view models: For complex views, consider creating dedicated view models

By using these methods appropriately, you can keep your application organized and make your views more maintainable. Laravel's flexibility in passing data to views allows you to choose the right approach for each situation in your application.

Remember that all passed variables are automatically made available in your Blade templates, and you can access them using the $variableName syntax. Blade's {{ }} echo statements automatically escape the output for security, making it safe to display user-generated content.

Happy Coding! 😊