What's the current recommended installation way?

The recommended way to install and set up Laravel can vary based on your development environment and personal preferences. As of Laravel 11, there are several popular methods you can use, each with its own advantages. Here’s a brief overview of the most common methods:

1. Laravel Sail (Docker)

Laravel Sail is a great option if you prefer using Docker. It provides a simple command-line interface for interacting with Laravel's default Docker configuration.

Installation Steps:

1. Install Docker on your machine.
2. Create a new Laravel project using Composer:

   composer create-project laravel/laravel example-app
   

3. Navigate to your project directory:

   cd example-app
   

4. Install Laravel Sail:

   composer require laravel/sail --dev
   

5. Start the development environment:

   ./vendor/bin/sail up
   

2. Laravel Valet (macOS)

Laravel Valet is a great choice if you are on macOS and prefer a minimalistic setup. It configures your Mac to always run Nginx in the background when your machine starts.

Installation Steps:

1. Install Homebrew if you haven't already:

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
   

2. Install PHP:

   brew install php
   

3. Install Composer:

   brew install composer
   

4. Install Laravel Valet:

   composer global require laravel/valet
   valet install
   

5. Navigate to your project directory and link it:

   cd example-app
   valet link
   

3. Laravel Homestead (VirtualBox/Vagrant)

Laravel Homestead is a pre-packaged Vagrant box that provides a development environment without requiring you to install PHP, a web server, and other server software on your local machine.

Installation Steps:

1. Install Vagrant and VirtualBox.
2. Add the Homestead box:

   vagrant box add laravel/homestead
   

3. Clone the Homestead repository:

   git clone https://github.com/laravel/homestead.git ~/Homestead
   cd ~/Homestead
   git checkout release
   

4. Run the init command to create the Homestead.yaml configuration file:

   bash init.sh
   

5. Edit the Homestead.yaml file to map your project directory.
6. Start the Vagrant box:

   vagrant up
   

4. Laravel Herd (macOS)

Laravel Herd is a new, lightweight, and fast way to set up a local development environment on macOS.

Installation Steps:

1. Download and install Laravel Herd from the official website.
2. Follow the setup instructions provided by the installer.

Conclusion

Each method has its own use case and benefits. If you are already comfortable with Docker, Laravel Sail is a great choice and is officially supported. If you are on macOS and prefer a lightweight setup, Laravel Valet or Herd might be more suitable. Homestead is a good option if you prefer a virtualized environment.

Choose the one that best fits your workflow and development environment. Happy coding!