CodeIgniter has been around for a long time. For many developers, it was the framework that initially drew them to PHP—lightweight, fast, and easy to deploy. But today? The landscape has shifted. Laravel is where the modern PHP world lives now, and if you’re still maintaining a CodeIgniter app, you’re probably starting to feel the weight of its limitations.

That’s not to knock CodeIgniter. It served its purpose, and in some cases, it still does. But for teams who need long-term scalability, richer features, and a better developer experience, Laravel is the logical next step. If you’re considering making the move, this post is for you.

Let’s walk through the why, the how, and what to watch out for.

Why so many teams are making the switch

The short answer? Laravel gives you more—more tools, more structure, and a more vibrant community. It’s not just about features; it’s about the developer experience.

Artisan CLI saves time on repetitive tasks. Blade templates make your views more manageable. Eloquent ORM handles your database layer elegantly, and Laravel’s native support for things like dependency injection, middleware, routing, and queueing is tough to beat. In CodeIgniter, you’re either building a lot of that yourself or patching it in.

Security is another area where Laravel shines. CSRF tokens, password hashing, input sanitization are all built in–you’re no longer babysitting every input field.

There’s also the ecosystem. Laravel has packages for everything, including authentication, API handling, testing, file storage, and queues. It’s an ecosystem that’s constantly evolving and is supported by a global community.

CodeIgniter vs. Laravel at a Glance

Feature	CodeIgniter	Laravel
Routing	URL-based, controller mapping	Explicit, route definitions in code
Templating	Basic PHP views	Blade templating engine (components, layouts)
Database Handling	Active Record / manual queries	Eloquent ORM (rich, expressive syntax)
CLI Tools	Limited CLI support	Artisan CLI for scaffolding, migrations, more
Security	Basic input filtering	Built-in CSRF, XSS, encryption features
Configuration	Scattered config files	Centralized .env and config directory
Dependency Injection	Manual loading	Native DI container with auto-resolution
Testing	No built-in testing support	Integrated PHPUnit + optional Dusk/browser tests
Authentication	Custom implementation	Out-of-the-box scaffolding options
Community/Ecosystem	Smaller, mostly legacy	Large, active community with rich package ecosystem

Before you dive in

Take a step back. Migrating isn’t just about copying files from one project to another—it’s an architectural shift. You’ll want to audit your current CodeIgniter app first. Understand how it’s structured, what’s reusable, what’s not. Look at the controllers, models, custom libraries, and views. Is there legacy logic that needs to be rethought? Are there custom helpers you’ll need to rebuild?

Also, define your scope. Some teams do a complete rewrite. Others migrate piece by piece, running Laravel alongside CodeIgniter for a while. Both approaches work, depending on your timeline and risk tolerance.

Pick a Laravel version (opt for the latest LTS if possible), spin up version control if it’s not already in place, and think through your testing strategy. Laravel offers excellent support for PHPUnit and browser testing with Laravel Dusk, making it a good idea to build tests as you migrate to ensure you’re not losing functionality in the process.

A few things that work differently

Laravel and CodeIgniter may both follow the MVC pattern, but they implement it in very different ways.

Routing, for one, is more flexible in Laravel. You define routes explicitly in code rather than relying on controller naming conventions. Views are handled through Blade, Laravel’s templating engine, which gives you powerful features like components, layout inheritance, and conditionals—all while keeping things readable.

Database access is another big shift. Laravel utilizes the Eloquent ORM, which maps your models to tables in a more expressive manner. It might take a bit to get used to, but once you do, you’ll wonder how you managed without it.

And the config setup? Laravel makes it easier to manage environments with .env files and centralized configuration, something CodeIgniter’s scattered arrays can’t quite match.

How you get it done

Start with a clean Laravel install. Set up your database connection, configure your .env file, and ensure that you’ve got the basic structure in place.

From there, it’s a step-by-step rebuild:

• Recreate your database schema using Laravel’s migration system
• Start moving logic—models first, then controllers
• Convert views into Blade templates
• Refactor any helpers or libraries into Laravel services or classes.
• Set up your routes
• Rebuild authentication if needed (Laravel Breeze, Jetstream, or Fortify are solid starting points)
• And finally, implement testing as you go. Trust me, it’s worth it

If you’re dealing with a large app, consider migrating one feature at a time. You can even run parts of the old app and new app in parallel during the transition using subdomains or route proxies.

Expect a few bumps along the way

Legacy code is messy. That’s just the nature of older apps that have evolved over time. Don’t be surprised if you run into tightly coupled logic, spaghetti code, or hidden dependencies that don’t map neatly to Laravel’s structure.

Take it one piece at a time. Refactor when you can, rewrite when you must. Lean on the Laravel community—it’s active, it’s helpful, and it’s full of devs who’ve done this same migration.

You’ll also want to plan for developer ramp-up. Laravel offers a lot of power, but if your team is used to CodeIgniter’s simpler structure, there might be a learning curve. Laracasts is a fantastic resource for getting up to speed.

Once you’re there

When the migration is done—or even just a module or two—you’ll start to see the difference. Cleaner code, more expressive logic, fewer workarounds. Your team will ship faster. Maintenance will get easier. You’ll have access to a wealth of tools and integrations that just weren’t feasible in CodeIgniter.

You’re not just upgrading your framework—you’re upgrading your entire approach to PHP development.

Thinking about making the move?

At Curotec, we’ve helped teams of all sizes migrate from CodeIgniter to Laravel, whether it’s a complete rewrite or an incremental rollout. Our senior PHP developers have a deep understanding of both frameworks and can guide your transition in a way that minimizes disruption and maximizes future readiness.

If you’re looking for a partner to help modernize your tech stack, we’d love to talk.

👉 Contact Curotec to start your Laravel migration.