Laravel 11: Choosing Between Full Framework and Minimal Setup

If you’re exploring Laravel 11, you’ve probably noticed something new and exciting — Laravel now offers two official project structures: Laravel 11 Full Framework and Laravel 11 Minimal.

Whether you’re building a full-scale web application or a lightweight microservice, knowing the difference between these two setups can save you time and help you architect your app with precision.

In this post, we’ll break down Laravel 11’s two flavors, their pros and cons, and help you choose the best fit for your next project.

What is Laravel 11?

Before we dive in, let’s recap.
Laravel 11 is the latest major release of the popular PHP framework, bringing improvements in performance, simplicity, and developer experience. But what really stands out is the introduction of two distinct starting points for your applications: Laravel 11 Full Framework and Laravel 11 Minimal.

This choice gives developers flexibility — whether they need a robust full-stack app or a clean, unopinionated foundation.

Laravel 11 Full Framework

The Laravel 11 Full Framework is the traditional, feature-rich Laravel you already know and love.
When you create a new project without any flags, this is what you get.

laravel new project-name
# or
composer create-project laravel/laravel project-name

What’s included in Laravel 11 Full Framework?

✅ Service Providers pre-configured
✅ Ready-to-use Routing (web.php, api.php)
✅ Middleware stack (like web, api, etc.)
✅ Maintenance mode handling
✅ Facades and global helpers
✅ Blade templating, queue, scheduler, caching, and more
✅ Pre-configured testing environment (Pest, PHPUnit)

This setup is ideal if:

• You want to build a typical web application quickly
• You appreciate Laravel’s conventions and batteries-included approach
• You prefer rapid development with minimal initial configuration

Laravel 11 Full Framework is the go-to for most web apps, APIs, and projects that benefit from Laravel’s powerful ecosystem right out of the box.

Laravel 11 Minimal

On the other hand, Laravel 11 Minimal is a clean slate.
It’s a lean, stripped-down version of Laravel — perfect for developers who want full control over their application architecture.

To create a Laravel 11 Minimal project, use:

laravel new project-name --minimal
# or
composer create-project laravel/laravel project-name -- --minimal

What’s different in Laravel 11 Minimal?

🚫 No service providers registered
🚫 No routes or route files
🚫 No middleware stack by default
🚫 No aliases, facades, or global helpers
🚫 No maintenance mode out of the box
🚫 Clean, lightweight HTTP kernel

Laravel 11 Minimal is excellent for:

• Microservices or headless applications
• Custom architectures where you don’t need the full Laravel stack
• Developers who want to build a Laravel app from scratch with total flexibility
• Lightweight APIs and serverless functions

Despite its minimalism, you can still “grow” a minimal app by gradually adding service providers and middleware as needed. Laravel’s container and core tools remain available, giving you all the power with none of the bloat.

Laravel 11 Full Framework vs. Laravel 11 Minimal: Which Should You Choose?

Which Type of Application Needs Which Laravel 11 Setup?

Choosing between Laravel 11 Full Framework and Laravel 11 Minimal really depends on the kind of application you’re building. Let’s go over a few practical scenarios to make this choice crystal clear.

1. Building a Traditional Web Application? Go with Laravel 11 Full Framework.

If you’re developing a standard web application — like an e-commerce site, admin panel, customer portal, or SaaS platform — the Laravel 11 Full Framework is your best friend.
It comes fully loaded with everything you need: pre-configured routes, middleware, service providers, Blade templating, and robust authentication scaffolding.

For example:

Suppose you’re building an admin dashboard for managing products and orders. With Laravel 11 Full Framework, you’ll have session management, CSRF protection, user authentication, and UI tools ready to go without extra setup.

The goal here is speed and convention. You spend less time wiring up basics and more time shipping features.

2. Creating an API or Backend for Mobile Apps? It depends.

If you’re developing a REST API or a backend for a mobile application, you have two choices.

• Laravel 11 Full Framework is great if you want speed to market. The api.php routes file, middleware stack, and tools like Sanctum for API tokens are already in place. You can spin up an API in hours, not days.
• But, if you want tight control over your API’s architecture or you’re aiming for high-performance microservices, Laravel 11 Minimal might be better. You can avoid unnecessary middleware and only include the components you actually need.

Example:

Imagine you’re building a mobile backend for a food delivery app. With Laravel 11 Full Framework, you can rapidly develop order management, user profiles, and notifications. If you’re building a high-performance order status microservice, Laravel 11 Minimal keeps it lightweight and blazing fast.

3. Working on Microservices? Definitely Laravel 11 Minimal.

Microservices are all about doing one thing well, with minimal overhead.
If you’re building an isolated service — like a payments processor, notifications service, or inventory updater — Laravel 11 Minimal is the perfect fit.

It strips away the extra weight of web middleware and view templates, giving you a fast, efficient foundation.

Example:

Let’s say you’re building a separate service to handle real-time inventory syncing. With Laravel 11 Minimal, you can create a fast, event-driven microservice without bootstrapping Laravel’s full stack.

4. Deploying to Serverless Environments? Stick with Laravel 11 Minimal.

Serverless platforms like AWS Lambda, Vercel, or Laravel Vapor benefit from minimal cold start times.
Using Laravel 11 Minimal means your serverless function boots faster since there’s less to load, leading to better performance and lower costs.

Example:

If you’re building an image processing API on AWS Lambda, Laravel 11 Minimal lets you skip the unnecessary components, focusing purely on your image handling logic.

5. Building a Rapid Prototype or MVP? Laravel 11 Full Framework.

When speed matters more than precision, and you need to get a working prototype in front of stakeholders quickly, go with Laravel 11 Full Framework.
You’ll save hours with built-in tools for routing, database migrations, and authentication.

Example:

For a startup testing a new marketplace idea, Laravel 11 Full Framework helps you get to a functional demo fast — complete with user registration, product listings, and payments integration.

6. Developing a Laravel Package? Laravel 11 Minimal makes sense.

If you’re creating a Laravel package to share with the community or for internal projects, Laravel 11 Minimal is ideal.
It keeps your package clean and independent of full application configurations, making it lighter and easier to test.

Example:

Suppose you’re building a custom logging package. Using Laravel 11 Minimal allows you to focus only on your package’s functionality, without Laravel’s full stack slowing you down.

Final Thoughts

The release of Laravel 11 with both Full Framework and Minimal options is a big win for developers.
Whether you want Laravel’s classic convenience or a barebones foundation for a microservice, Laravel 11 has you covered.

If you’re building a feature-rich web app and love Laravel’s expressive syntax, go with Laravel 11 Full Framework.
If you need precision and lightweight control, Laravel 11 Minimal is your perfect starting point.

Either way, Laravel 11 makes sure you’re building with the right tools for the job.

Ready to start your next Laravel 11 project?
Choose your structure wisely, and enjoy the freedom Laravel 11 offers!