Intermediate LevelLaravel
What is the difference between Gates and Policies in Laravel Authorization?
❓ Interview Prompt: Compare Closure-based Gates (Gate::define()) vs Model-based Policies (Policy classes, authorize(), @can), and Authorizable trait.
Laravel provides two main approaches to authorize user actions:
1. Gates ('Gate::define()'):
Closure-based authorization checks for actions NOT tied to a specific model (e.g. checking 'Gate::allows("view-admin-dashboard")'). Defined in 'AppServiceProvider'.
2. Policies ('PostPolicy.php'):
Classes that group authorization logic around a specific Eloquent model (e.g. 'update()', 'delete()'). Checked via '$this->authorize("update", $post)' or '@can("update", $post)'.
Code Implementation Example
php
<?php
namespace AppPolicies;
use AppModelsUser;
use AppModelsPost;
class PostPolicy
{
public function update(User $user, Post $post): bool {
return $user->id === $post->user_id || $user->is_admin;
}
}💡Model Policy class defining update authorization rule.
🎯 Interview Key Takeaway
Use Gates for general action permissions, and Policies for model-specific CRUD authorization logic.
#Authorization#Gates#Policies#Security#Intermediate
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