Where to put/how to handle enums in Laravel?

Stefan Bogdanescu

Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29

Laravel Company
Laravel provides an easier way to handle enums through its form helper and database migration capabilities, but the question remains – where do you put them, and how do you make them globally accessible? In this comprehensive blog post, we will discuss different approaches for managing your enums effectively in Laravel applications.
  1. Where to put enums?

    2. To maintain consistency across your project, it is recommended to store your enums within a separate file. This approach ensures that you can easily find and access them whenever needed. Create a folder called 'Enums' or something similar in your Laravel application root directory and place all enum data structures inside this folder.

    php
    // Enums/PhoneTypes.php:
   $phoneTypes = [
      'CELL' => "Cellular",
      'HOME' => "Home",
      'WORK' => "Work",
   ];

    By keeping all enums stored together, you can easily find the required data without any hassle.

  2. Making them globally accessible?

    3. To use enums in multiple places across your application, including both views and the database, follow these steps:

    1. Ensure you have installed and configured Laravel's Artisan commands: `composer require laravel/artisan` and set appropriate permissions for the 'vendor/bin' folder. 2. Create a helper function in your app's 'Helper' directory, which will load all enums from their respective files. This function can be called as follows:
    php
    function enum($enum_key) {
      $enum_obj = App\Enums\$enum_key;
      return isset($enum_obj->{$enum_key}) ? $enum_obj->{$enum_key} : null;
   }
    3. Add the following lines to your 'AppServiceProvider' class in your application:
    php
    use App\Enums\PhoneTypes;
   use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Artisan;

   public function boot() {
       Artisan::add(new EnumCommand());
   }
    4. Create a new command file, 'Console/Commands/EnumCommand.php', with the following content:
    php
    namespace App\Console\Commands;

   use Illuminate\Console\Command;
   use App\Enums\PhoneTypes;
   use App\Helpers\EnumHelper;

   class EnumCommand extends Command {
       /**
        * The name and signature of the console command.
        *
        * @var string
        */
       protected $signature = 'enum:load';

       public function handle() {
           foreach (glob(storage_path('app/Enums/*.php')) as $file) {
               require_once($file);
           }
       }
   }
    5. Use the 'Artisan' command to load all enums:
    shell
    php artisan enum:load

    Now, you can access your enums globally in any part of your Laravel application using the enum helper function:

    php
    echo EnumHelper::enum('CELL'); // Output: Cellular
In conclusion, it is essential to have a consistent and organized approach for handling enums in your Laravel applications. We've outlined various methods to help you store and access these values easily. By utilizing the artisan commands and helper functions, you can efficiently manage your enums while making them globally accessible across your project.

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