Laravel 13 Released: PHP 8.3, Attributes, Laravel AI, and a Smoother Upgrade Path

Laravel 13 is now released. This release will require PHP 8.3 as the minimum version and will follow Laravel's standard support cycle with bug fixes through Q3 2027 and security updates through Q1 2028.

According to the Laravel team:

Much of our focus during this release cycle has been minimizing breaking changes. Instead, we have dedicated ourselves to shipping continuous quality-of-life improvements throughout the year that do not break existing applications.

As always, if you want a simple way to upgrade check out Laravel Shift.

#What's New in Laravel 13

#PHP 8.3 Is Now Required

Laravel 13 drops support for PHP 8.2 and now requires PHP 8.3 or higher.

#First-Class Support for PHP Attributes

The biggest developer-facing improvement is the introduction of native PHP Attributes across many parts of the framework.

// EXAMPLE MODEL
 
#[Table('users', key: 'user_id', keyType: 'string', incrementing: false)]
#[Hidden(['password'])]
#[Fillable(['name', 'email'])]
class User extends Model {}

Instead of configuring behavior through class properties, you can now define things inline using attributes:

• Models
• Jobs
• Console commands
• And more (15+ locations)

This is fully optional and backward compatible.

#Laravel AI SDK

Laravel 13 introduces the first-party Laravel AI SDK, providing a unified API for text generation, tool-calling agents, embeddings, audio, images, and vector-store integrations.

#JSON:API Resources

Laravel now includes first-party JSON:API resources, making it straightforward to return responses compliant with the JSON:API specification.

JSON:API resources handle resource object serialization, relationship inclusion, sparse fieldsets, links, and JSON:API-compliant response headers.

Read More: https://laravel.com/docs/13.x/eloquent-resources#jsonapi-resources

#Queue Routing

Laravel 13 adds queue routing by class via Queue::route(...), allowing you to define default queue / connection routing rules for specific jobs in a central place:

Queue::route(ProcessPodcast::class, connection: 'redis', queue: 'podcasts');

#Semantic / Vector Search

Laravel 13 has native vector query support, embedding workflows, and related APIs documented across search, queries, and the AI SDK.

These features make it straightforward to build AI-powered search experiences using PostgreSQL + pgvector, including similarity search against embeddings generated directly from strings.

For example, you may run semantic similarity searches directly from the query builder:

$documents = DB::table('documents')
    ->whereVectorSimilarTo('embedding', 'Best wineries in Napa Valley')
    ->limit(10)
    ->get();

#Cache::touch()

PR #55954 adds a Cache::touch() method that extends a cached item's TTL without fetching or re-storing the value:

// Extend by seconds
Cache::touch('user_session:123', 3600);
 
// Extend with a DateTime
Cache::touch('analytics_data', now()->addHours(6));
 
// Extend indefinitely
Cache::touch('report_cache', null);

Previously, extending a TTL required a get followed by a put, which meant transferring the cached value over the wire unnecessarily. Cache::touch() skips that — Redis uses a single EXPIRE command, Memcached uses TOUCH, and the database driver issues a single UPDATE.

The method returns true on success and false if the key doesn't exist. It's implemented across all cache drivers: Array, APC, Database, DynamoDB, File, Memcached, Memoized, Null, and Redis.

#Laravel 13 Support Timeline

Following Laravel's established support policy, Laravel 13 will receive bugfixes until Q3 2027 and security updates until Q1 2028:

Laravel 12, released February 24, 2025, will continue receiving:

• Bug fixes until August 13, 2026
• Security fixes until February 24, 2027

#Upgrading to Laravel 13

If you want an easy way to keep your projects up to date with the latest versions check out Laravel Shift. Shift will open a PR with nice, atomic commits for you to review in just a few clicks.