How to check a Laravel project's version

If you need to check the version of a Laravel project you're currently working in, you've got two options. Let's take a look.

First up, run the --version flag on Artisan for a simple output of the Laravel version in your project.

php artisan --version

Here's what you'll get:

Laravel Framework 9.43.0

Perfect. If that's all you need, you're done.

There's another command, which alongside the version of Laravel you're running, also gives you some really nice insights into the state of your Laravel project. This command was added a little later in Laravel's life, so hasn't been around too long.

php artisan about

With this command run, you'll get the following output

Environment ...................................................................................................................................  
  Application Name ................................................................................................................... Codecourse  
  Laravel Version ........................................................................................................................ 9.43.0  
  PHP Version ............................................................................................................................ 8.1.12  
  Composer Version ........................................................................................................................ 2.4.4  
  Environment ............................................................................................................................. local  
  Debug Mode ............................................................................................................................ ENABLED  
  URL ........................................................................................................................... codecourse.test  
  Maintenance Mode .......................................................................................................................... OFF  

  Cache .........................................................................................................................................  
  Config ............................................................................................................................. NOT CACHED  
  Events ............................................................................................................................. NOT CACHED  
  Routes ............................................................................................................................. NOT CACHED  
  Views .................................................................................................................................. CACHED  

  Drivers .......................................................................................................................................  
  Broadcasting .............................................................................................................................. log  
  Cache ................................................................................................................................... redis  
  Database ................................................................................................................................ pgsql  
  Logs ............................................................................................................................ stack / daily  
  Mail ..................................................................................................................................... smtp  
  Queue ................................................................................................................................... redis  
  Scout ............................................................................................................................. meilisearch  
  Session .................................................................................................................................. file  

Nice, loads of useful information about the state of your project!

So, next time you need to know the version of Laravel you're running, either command works nicely – with the about command giving you some additional insights.