Laravel Request Cheat Sheet: Essential Methods Every Backend Developer Should Know

Laravel Request Cheat Sheet

In Laravel, the Request facade provides a convenient way to access HTTP request data. The following list presents the most frequently used methods for retrieving URLs, paths, headers, client information, and request characteristics.

// Retrieve all input data (form-data or raw)
request()->input();

// Full URL
Request::url();

// Path component of the URL
Request::path();

// Full request URI (including query string)
Request::getRequestUri();

// Client IP address
Request::ip();

// Full URI with scheme
Request::getUri();

// Query string only
Request::getQueryString();

// Request port (e.g., 80, 443)
Request::getPort();

// Check if current URI matches a pattern
Request::is('foo/*');

// Get a specific segment of the URI (1‑based index)
Request::segment(1);

// Retrieve a header value
Request::header('Content-Type');

// Retrieve a server variable
Request::server('PATH_INFO');

// Determine if the request is an AJAX call
Request::ajax();

// Determine if the request uses HTTPS
Request::secure();

// Get the HTTP method (GET, POST, etc.)
Request::method();

// Check if the method matches a given type
Request::isMethod('post');

// Get raw POST content
Request::instance()->getContent();

// Get the expected response format
Request::format();

// Determine if the request expects JSON
Request::isJson();

// Determine if the client accepts JSON
Request::wantsJson();

This cheat sheet serves as a quick reference for developers working with Laravel's request handling features.