Laravel 5.2 redirect back with success message

Stefan Izdrail

Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29

Laravel Company
Title: Laravel 5.2 Redirect Back with Success Message - A Comprehensive Guide Introduction: Redirecting back to a specific location after performing an action is one of the most common practices in web applications. In this post, we will explore how to redirect back and pass success messages using Laravel 5.2. We will also discuss why your current code might not be working and provide potential solutions. So, let us dive into the world of Laravel routing and redirection techniques. Body: The given code snippet `return redirect()->back()->withSuccess('IT WORKS!');` is responsible for redirecting back to the previous page with a success message. Let's analyze each part of this line: 1) `redirect()`: This method handles the redirection logic in Laravel. It takes one or more parameters depending on your needs. There are multiple ways to specify the destination URL, such as using route names, absolute paths, or URL generation methods like route()->url(). 2) `back()`: This function redirects the user back to the previous page. It's a convenient method for navigation since it doesn't require you to define the exact return URL in your controller. This is especially useful when working with forms and other actions where the user can trigger multiple processes before returning to the same location. 3) `withSuccess()`: This function adds a success message to the session data, which will be available for display on the redirected page. This method is quite straightforward; you pass in the desired success message as a string argument, and the method handles the rest. Now, let's analyze your example code:
@if (!empty($success))
    <h1>{{$success}}</h1>
@endif
Since you did not pass any success message to the session data, $success will likely be empty. As a result, your if statement will evaluate to false and won't display any content. To fix this issue, make sure you call the `withSuccess()` method with a meaningful success message on the redirection line:
return redirect()->back()->withSuccess('IT WORKS!');
However, there might be other reasons besides an empty $success variable that could cause this issue. A common mistake is not setting up the correct middleware group in routes.php. Let's take a look at your code example:
Route::group(['middleware' => 'web'], function () {
    Route::auth();

    Route::get('/', function () {
        return view('home');
    });

    Route::post('/newsletter/subscribe','NewsletterController@subscribe');
});
The code adds the '/' (homepage) and '/newsletter/subscribe' routes to a web middleware group. To display your success message on the home page, you should modify it as follows:
Route::group(['middleware' => ['web', 'auth']], function () { // Add auth middleware for security purposes
    Route::get('/', function () {
        return view('home');
    });

    Route::post('/newsletter/subscribe','NewsletterController@subscribe');
});
By adding the `auth()` middleware, you ensure that only authenticated users can access your routes. This provides better security and allows displaying a success message on the homepage after successful redirection from other pages. Furthermore, make sure your view file is correctly referencing the $success variable to display it on the page. Conclusion: To successfully redirect back with a success message in Laravel 5.2, you need to follow these steps: 1) Pass a meaningful success message to the `withSuccess()` method on the redirection line. 2) Make sure your middleware group is properly configured for your routes and the correct view file is referencing the $success variable. 3) Remember to use Laravel's convenient redirect functions like `back()`, which makes navigation easier while maintaining security and user experience. By understanding these concepts and following best practices, you can create more efficient and user-friendly web applications with Laravel 5.2.