Access images inside public folder in laravel
Stefan Izdrail
Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29
Title: Accessing Images Inside Public Folder in Laravel without Using Built-in Functions
Body:
When developing web applications using Laravel, it's quite common to store all your static resources such as images and scripts in specific folders. By default, these files are located within the public folder of your Laravel application. Laravel offers built-in functions like `assets()` for easy accessing of these assets. However, there might be instances where you may want to access public folder's contents directly without using Laravel's provided methods. In this comprehensive blog post, we will explore how to achieve that goal with code examples and best practices.
Firstly, let's take a look at the default approach of accessing assets in Laravel using `assets()` function:
```php
// Default Approach Using Assets() Function
echo asset('images/stackoverflow.png'); // Displays localhost:8000/webapp/images/stackoverflow.png
```
In the example above, the `asset()` helper function is used to generate a fully qualified URL path to an image stored within the public folder. However, you might want to access these images without relying on Laravel's functions. To do so, you can simply call your public assets directly by using the following code:
```php
// Accessing Assets Directly Without Using Helper Functions
echo 'http://localhost/webapp/images/stackoverflow.png'; // Displays localhost:8000/webapp/images/stackoverflow.png
```
In this case, you can see that the image's file path is called directly using absolute URL syntax. While this approach works, it may not always be ideal as it can make your code less flexible and unnecessarily complex. It also requires explicit knowledge of your application's public folder structure, which might become a problem when working on multiple projects.
If you prefer using more general solutions that allow for easier maintenance and collaboration with other developers, then consider the following approaches:
1. Using Laravel's Helpers: If you still want to use Laravel's built-in functions but without having to type `assets()`, you can define your own custom helper function like this:
```php
// Create a Custom Helper Function for Asset Paths
function custom_asset($path) {
return asset($path);
}
// Usage of Custom Helper Function
echo custom_asset('images/stackoverflow.png'); // Displays localhost:8000/webapp/images/stackoverflow.png
```
This approach allows you to use `custom_asset()` function while still taking advantage of Laravel's helper functions for generating the URLs.
2. Using a Laravel Package: There are various PHP packages available that help in solving this issue, such as Guzzle and Spatie TagHelper. You can install one of these packages using Composer or any other dependency manager, and then use their functions to generate asset paths without relying on Laravel's native methods.
3. Using Facades: You can also create a custom facade that extends the base class `Illuminate\Support\Facades` to define your own function for generating absolute URLs.
```php
// Create Custom Facade for Generating Asset Paths
namespace Illuminate\Support;
class CustomAssetFacade extends \Illuminate\Support\Facades {
protected static function getFacadeAccessor() { return 'custom_asset'; }
}
// Usage of Custom Facade Function
echo CustomAsset::get('images/stackoverflow.png'); // Displays localhost:8000/webapp/images/stackoverflow.png
```
In Summary:
- If you want to access images stored inside the public folder directly, using absolute URL syntax may work in some scenarios. However, avoid this approach if possible as it might lead to more complex code and reduced flexibility.
- It's better to use Laravel's built-in functions like `assets()` or create custom helper functions for accessing assets. This approach allows you to take advantage of Laravel's features while still being able to easily change your folder structure if necessary.
- You can also explore using third-party packages or creating a custom facade to generate absolute URL paths, but always ensure that your code remains maintainable and collaborative.
By following these best practices and incorporating the relevant examples into your projects, you'll be able to access images stored in your public folder without using Laravel's native functions while maintaining clean and well-structured code.