Parameterized Middleware in Laravel

Laravel's middleware system becomes more powerful with parameter passing, allowing dynamic behavior based on runtime values. This feature is particularly useful for role-based access control, rate limiting, or any scenario requiring configurable middleware logic.

namespace App\Http\Middleware;
 
use Closure;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
 
class EnsureUserHasRole
{
    public function handle(Request $request, Closure $next, string ...$roles)
    {
        if (!$request->user()?->hasAnyRole($roles)) {
            return response()->json([
                'error' => 'Insufficient permissions'
            ], 403);
        }
        return $next($request);
    }
}

Let's explore how to implement role-based route protection:

use App\Http\Controllers\PostController;
use App\Http\Middleware\EnsureUserHasRole;
 
Route::prefix('posts')->group(function () {
    // Public routes
    Route::get('/', [PostController::class, 'index']);
 
    // Editor routes
    Route::put('/{id}', [PostController::class, 'update'])
        ->middleware(EnsureUserHasRole::class . ':editor');
 
    Route::post('/', [PostController::class, 'store'])
        ->middleware(EnsureUserHasRole::class . ':editor');
 
    // Admin routes
    Route::delete('/{id}', [PostController::class, 'destroy'])
        ->middleware(EnsureUserHasRole::class . ':admin');
});

Parameterized middleware provides a clean way to implement dynamic authorization rules while keeping your routes and controllers lean.