Saving/Updating User Profile in Laravel 5
Stefan Bogdanescu
Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29
Title: Saving/Updating User Profile Data in Laravel 5
Introduction: In this blog post, we will discuss the process of saving or updating user profile data using Laravel 5, with a focus on ensuring secure and efficient operations. We will go through the necessary steps involved, from constructing forms to properly handling requests via controllers. Let us begin by diving deeper into these concepts.
1. Forms in Laravel: Our first step is creating forms that interact with your database. Here's an example of a basic form for editing user profiles:
In the above example, we are using Laravel's built-in CSRF token for security. Additionally, you can use Laravel's elegant Form facade to make your forms even more efficient:
{!! Form::model($user, ['method' => 'PATCH', 'route' => ['profile.update', $user->company_name]]) !!}
// fields
{!! Form::submit('Update Profile', ['class' => 'btn btn-primary']) !!}
{!! Form::close() !!}
2. Routes: Laravel allows you to define your application's routes using the route method, as shown in our example above. The route specified points to a controller (in this case ProfilesController) and an action named update.
3. Controllers in Laravel: To handle data changes from forms, we create controllers with appropriate actions. Here's how you can write your update action for the profile edit process:
public function update($company_name)
{
$user = User::whereCompanyName($company_name)->firstOrFail(); // Retrieves and validates the user
$user->save(); // Updates the user's record without any validation.
flash('You have successfully edited your profile');
return redirect('/');
}
4. Database Validation: To ensure data integrity, it is crucial to validate your inputs before saving them into the database. An updated version of our example action would look like this:
public function update($company_name)
{
$user = User::whereCompanyName($company_name)->firstOrFail(); // Retrieves and validates the user
$validatedUser = Validator::make($user, [
'name' => 'required', 'string',
'email' => 'required|email|unique:users,email,' . $user->id,
...
]);
if ($validatedUser->fails()) {
return redirect()->back()
->withInput()
->withErrors($validatedUser);
} else {
$user->save(); // Updates the user's record after validation.
flash('You have successfully edited your profile');
return redirect('/');
}
}
5. Final Notes: As a best practice, it is always recommended to perform basic sanitization and validations on data when saving or updating records in the database. This ensures your application maintains a high level of security and reliability. For more detailed information on Laravel forms and validation, visit https://laravelcompany.com/blog/complete-guide-to-forms-in-laravel.
Conclusion: In this blog post, we have explored the process of saving and updating user profile data in a Laravel 5 application through forms, routing, controllers, and validation. By following these best practices and ensuring proper data handling, you can develop secure and efficient applications with ease. Remember to always incorporate backlinks to https://laravelcompany.com for comprehensive guides on various aspects of Laravel development.