Laravel 12 WebSockets Without Node.js: Complete Guide with Laravel Reverb

Why Laravel Reverb for WebSockets?

             

Laravel Reverb is a first-party, high-performance WebSocket server built by the Laravel team. Key advantages:

• No Node.js — pure PHP (powered by ReactPHP)
• Pusher-compatible API → works seamlessly with Laravel Echo
• Scalable with Redis for horizontal scaling
• Official support & active maintenance (unlike abandoned third-party packages)
• Built-in dashboard for monitoring connections & events
• Free & self-hosted (or managed via Laravel Cloud)

Reverb is now the standard for Laravel 11+ / 12 real-time apps in 2026.

The popular beyondcode/laravel-websockets package is no longer maintained (abandoned since ~2024). The maintainers officially recommend migrating to Laravel Reverb.

Use Reverb for all new projects. The legacy section below is only for maintaining older apps.

Table Of Content

1 Prerequisites

• PHP ≥ 8.2
• Laravel 12 fresh install
• Composer
• Node.js & npm (only for frontend assets + Laravel Echo)
• Redis (strongly recommended for production scaling)
• Database (MySQL / PostgreSQL / SQLite)

2 Introduction

In this step-by-step tutorial, you'll learn:

• Why choose Reverb over third-party packages
• Full installation & configuration
• Building a real-time chat example
• Production deployment tips

3 Create a Fresh Laravel 12 Project

3.1 Install Laravel Project

First, ensure Composer is installed on your system. Use the following command to install a new Laravel Project:

composer create-project laravel/laravel:^12.0 laravel12-webSockets 

Navigate to your project directory:

cd laravel12-webSockets

3.2 Database Configuration in .env

Laravel 12 comes with a ready-to-use .env.example file. Copy it to .env if not already done:

    
        cp .env.example .env
    

Open .env and configure the database section based on your setup. Here are the most common examples: MySQL / MariaDB (Most Common)

    
        DB_CONNECTION=mysql
        DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
        DB_PORT=3306
        DB_DATABASE=laravel_db          # Create this database first in MySQL
        DB_USERNAME=root                # or your username
        DB_PASSWORD=                    # leave blank if no password, or your password
     

PostgreSQL

    
       DB_CONNECTION=pgsql
       DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
       DB_PORT=5432
       DB_DATABASE=laravel_db
       DB_USERNAME=postgres
       DB_PASSWORD=your_password
     

SQLite (Great for Quick Testing / Small Apps – No Server Needed)

    
     DB_CONNECTION=sqlite
        # Comment out or remove the other DB_* lines
        # Then create an empty file:
        touch database/database.sqlite
     

4 Modern & Recommended – Install Laravel Reverb

Install Broadcasting with Reverb

Run this single command (it handles everything):

    
        php artisan install:broadcasting --reverb
        

This:

• Installs Reverb
• Publishes config files (config/reverb.php, .env keys)
• Sets up Laravel Echo frontend scaffolding

Review .envChanges

New keys added automatically:

    
    BROADCAST_DRIVER=reverb
    REVERB_APP_ID=your-app-id
    REVERB_APP_KEY=your-key
    REVERB_APP_SECRET=your-secret
    REVERB_HOST=localhost
    REVERB_PORT=8080
    REVERB_SCHEME=http
    VITE_REVERB_APP_KEY="${REVERB_APP_KEY}"
    VITE_REVERB_HOST="${REVERB_HOST}"
    VITE_REVERB_PORT="${REVERB_PORT}"
    VITE_REVERB_SCHEME="${REVERB_SCHEME}"
       

For production: change REVERB_HOST to your domain, use https/wss, and enable Redis.

Start Reverb Server (Development)

    
      php artisan reverb:start --debug
       

Keep this running in a separate terminal.

Compile Frontend Assets

    
      npm install
       npm run dev
       

5 Create Broadcast Event

Generate an event:

    
        php artisan make:event MessageSent --broadcast
        

Edit app/Events/MessageSent.php:

    
       <?php
            namespace App\Events;

            use Illuminate\Broadcasting\Channel;
            use Illuminate\Broadcasting\InteractsWithSockets;
            use Illuminate\Contracts\Broadcasting\ShouldBroadcast;
            use Illuminate\Foundation\Events\Dispatchable;
            use Illuminate\Queue\SerializesModels;

            class MessageSent implements ShouldBroadcast
            {
                use Dispatchable, InteractsWithSockets, SerializesModels;

                public $username;
                public $message;

                public function __construct(string $username, string $message)
                {
                    $this->username = $username;
                    $this->message = $message;
                }

                public function broadcastOn(): array
                {
                    return [new Channel('chat')];
                }

                public function broadcastAs(): string
                {
                    return 'message.sent'; // Optional custom name
                }
            }
        

6 Create Controller to Trigger Event

Create a ChatController.php:

    
        php artisan make:controller ChatController
        

Edit app/Http/Controllers/ChatController.php:

    
       <?php
            namespace App\Http\Controllers;

            use Illuminate\Http\Request;
            use App\Events\MessageSent;

            class ChatController extends Controller
            {
               public function send(Request $request)
                {
                    $request->validate([
                        'username' => 'required|string|max:50',
                        'message' => 'required|string|max:500',
                    ]);

                    broadcast(new MessageSent(
                        $request->username,
                        $request->message
                    ))->toOthers();

                    return response()->json(['status' => 'Message broadcasted!']);
                }
            }
        

7 Chat UI Example

Create a simple Blade view resources/views/chat.blade.php:

    
                       <!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Laravel 12 Real-Time Chat – Reverb</title>
    @vite(['resources/js/app.js'])
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Real-Time Chat (Laravel Reverb)</h1>

    <input id="username" placeholder="Your name" />
    <input id="message" placeholder="Type a message..." />
    <button onclick="sendMessage()">Send</button>

    <ul id="messages"></ul>

    <script>
        Echo.channel('chat')
            .listen('.message.sent', (e) => {
                const li = document.createElement('li');
                li.textContent = `${e.username}: ${e.message}`;
                document.getElementById('messages').appendChild(li);
            });

        function sendMessage() {
            const username = document.getElementById('username').value;
            const message = document.getElementById('message').value;

            if (!username || !message) return;

            fetch('/chat/send', {
                method: 'POST',
                headers: {
                    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
                    'X-CSRF-TOKEN': document.querySelector('meta[name="csrf-token"]').content
                },
                body: JSON.stringify({ username, message })
            }).then(() => {
                document.getElementById('message').value = '';
            });
        }
    </script>
</body>
</html>
        

8 Define Routes (routes/web.php or routes/api.php)

use App\Http\Controllers\ChatController;
Route::get('/chat', fn() => view('chat'))->name('chat');
Route::post('/chat/send', [ChatController::class, 'send']);

9 Test It

• Run Laravel: php artisan serve
• Run Reverb: php artisan reverb:start
• Open http://127.0.0.1:8000/chat in two tabs → send messages → watch real-time updates!

Open two browser tabs → send messages → see real-time chat without Node.js

10 Conclusion

You've now built a modern real-time chat app in Laravel 12 using Laravel Reverb — no Node.js needed.

Extend this for notifications, live presence, auctions, multiplayer games, and more.

Start building today: check the official Laravel Reverb docs for advanced features.

Frequently Asked Questions