Laravel Debugging Tips: How to Fix Common Errors Quickly

Debugging is an essential skill for any Laravel developer. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, encountering errors is inevitable. The key is knowing how to identify and resolve them quickly.

In this post, we’ll cover some common Laravel errors and provide practical debugging tips to help you fix them efficiently.

1. Enable Debug Mode for Detailed Errors

Before diving into debugging, ensure Laravel’s debug mode is enabled. This provides detailed error messages, stack traces, and exceptions.

Open .env and set:

APP_DEBUG=true

⚠️ Warning: Never enable APP_DEBUG=true in production for security reasons.

2. Check Laravel Logs

Laravel logs errors in storage/logs/laravel.log. If something breaks, check here first:

tail -f storage/logs/laravel.log

For more structured logging, use:

Log::error('Something went wrong!', ['data' => $variable]);

3. Common Laravel Errors & Fixes

A. "Class Not Found" or "Target Class Does Not Exist"

This usually happens due to:

• Missing Composer autoload
• Incorrect namespace
• Service provider not registered

Fix:

• Run composer dump-autoload
• Check namespace in the file
• Ensure the class is properly imported

B. "419 Page Expired" (CSRF Token Mismatch)

This occurs when a form submission lacks a valid CSRF token.

Fix:

• Add @csrf inside forms:

  <form method="POST">
      @csrf
      ...
  </form>

• Verify VerifyCsrfToken middleware is active in app/Http/Kernel.php. (below version of laravel 11).

C. "SQLSTATE: Table Not Found"

This means Laravel can’t find a database table.

Fix:

• Run migrations: php artisan migrate
• Check table name spelling in the model (protected $table).

D. "MethodNotAllowedHttpException"

This happens when a route is accessed with the wrong HTTP method (e.g., POST instead of GET).

Fix:

• Check your route definition in routes/web.php or routes/api.php:

  Route::post('/submit', 'FormController@submit');

• Ensure your form/request uses the correct method (POST, GET, etc.).

E. "Trying to Get Property of Non-Object"

This occurs when trying to access a property on null.

Fix:

• Always check if an object exists before accessing properties:

  if ($user) {
      echo $user->name;
  }

• Use optional helper: {{ optional($user)->name }} in Blade.

4. Use Laravel Telescope for Advanced Debugging

Telescope is a powerful debug assistant. Install it via:

composer require laravel/telescope
php artisan telescope:install
php artisan migrate

It provides insights into:

• Requests
• Queries
• Commands
• Jobs
• Exceptions

5. Debugging with dd() and dump()

Laravel provides helper functions to dump variables and halt execution:

dd($variable); // Dump & die
dump($variable); // Dump without stopping

Use them to inspect data at any point in your code.

6. Check Route Listings

If routes aren’t working, list all routes:

php artisan route:list

This helps verify route names, methods, and associated controllers.

7. Test Database Queries with DB::listen

To debug slow or failing queries, add this in AppServiceProvider:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;

public function boot() {
    DB::listen(function ($query) {
        logger($query->sql, $query->bindings);
    });
}

This logs every SQL query executed.

Conclusion

Debugging in Laravel becomes easier when you know where to look. By enabling debug mode, checking logs, using dd(), and leveraging tools like Telescope, you can quickly identify and fix common errors.

What Laravel errors do you encounter often? Share your debugging tips in the comments!

🚀 Happy Debugging!