Laravel Image Handling using Storage Link

Kwabena Nana Acheampong — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 08:57:36 +0000

In this guide, I will walk you through the process of effectively saving and retrieving images in a Laravel full-stack application. This tutorial assumes you have an active and running Laravel project.

STEP-1: Create a Storage Link
Laravel provides a simple and secure way to store files through the storage system. Before saving images, we need to create a symbolic link from the public/storage directory to the storage/app/public directory. This is done using an artisan command:

php artisan storage:link

This command creates a storage folder inside your public directory, allowing you to access stored images through URLs.

STEP-2: Use the Storage Facade in the Controller
To handle image uploads, we can utilize Laravel's Storage facade within the controller method responsible for processing the form submission. Below is an example of how to implement image uploading:

public function store(Request $request)
{
    try {
        // Define validation rules
        $rules = [
            "image" => "required|image|mimes:jpeg,png,jpg,gif,svg|max:2048",
        ];

        // Validate the request
        $validation = Validator::make($request->all(), $rules);
        if ($validation->fails()) {
            return back()->with('error', $validation->errors()->first())->withInput($request->all());
        }

        // Handle image upload
        if ($request->hasFile('image')) {
            $image = $request->file('image');
            $imageName = time() . "." . $image->getClientOriginalExtension();

            // Store the image in the public disk
            $filePath = "images/causes/$imageName";
            Storage::disk('public')->put($filePath, file_get_contents($image));

            // Save the image path in the database
            $model = ModelClass::create([
                "image" => $filePath,
            ]);

            return redirect()->back()->with('success', 'Record successfully created!');
        }

    } catch (\Exception $e) {
        // Log the error and return a generic message
        Log::error("ERROR_MESSAGE_CAUSES: " . $e->getMessage());
        return back()->with('error', 'Sorry, an error occurred. Please try again.');
    }
}

In this method:

We first validate that an image has been uploaded and meets the size and format requirements.
The image is then saved in the storage/app/public/images/folder directory.
The image path is stored in the database for future retrieval.

STEP-3: Add a Laravel Accessor for Easy Image Retrieval
To make image retrieval more seamless, we can create an accessor in our model. This accessor will automatically append the correct storage URL to the image path when retrieving it.

public function getImageUrlAttribute()
{
    return $this->image ? Storage::url($this->image) : null;
}

This accessor returns the full URL of the stored image, making it easy to display images in your views.

In your blade file you can retrieve the image using:

<img src="{{ config('services.app_url.domain') . $modelInstance->image_url }}" alt="No Image" width="100px">

STEP-4: Configure the Application URL
To ensure images are correctly accessed from the public folder, you should also set the application URL properly in the config/services.php file. Append this to the return array:

"app_url" => [
    "domain" => env("APP_URL"),
],

Make sure that your .env file contains the correct URL for your application:

APP_URL=http://localhost:8000

This ensures that your application knows where to serve static assets like images.

Conclusion
By following these steps, you can efficiently handle image uploads and retrievals in a Laravel application using the storage link system. The symbolic link allows for seamless access to images, while the Storage facade makes handling file uploads both secure and straightforward.

Renew SSL Certificate on Ubuntu Nginx 22.04 / 20.04 / 18.04.

Kwabena Nana Acheampong — Sun, 16 Jul 2023 18:38:48 +0000

PER-REQUISITES

1.Run

sudo apt-get update

to download and upgrade package information from all configured sources.

2.Run

sudo apt-get install python3-certbot-nginx

to install the Certbot client which is used in managing SSL/TLS certificates with the Nginx web server.

NON-WILDCARD SSL RENEWAL
For domains which do not require the use of wildcard domains make use of the command below;

Run

sudo certbot --nginx -m example@gmail.com -d domain.ddns.net

replace the example@gmail.com with your own email and domain.ddns.net with the domain you are renewing the SSL for.

Wildcard SSL Certificate Renewal ( if you are using a non-wild card domain then skip step 1a and 1b )
Run

sudo certbot certonly --manual --preferred-challenges=dns --email example@gmail.com --server https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory --agree-dos -d domain.ddns.net -d "*.domain.ddns.net"

replace the example@gmail.com with your own email and both domain.ddns.net and ("*.domain.ddns.net") with the domain you are renewing the SSL for.

1a. At this point on the terminal enter "A" to accept terms and "C" to cancel the process and hit Enter.

1b. This step is to allow redirect of HTTP to the new HTTPS. There are two options to choose from;
a. Enter type 2 => Highly recommended and hit enter.
b. Enter type 1=> To disallow redirect and hit enter.

EXTRAS

sudo service nginx restart

to ensure the Nginx would reload and pick up the new configurations.

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

to manually renew the SSL certificate before its expiry.

To check your available certs and expiration dates, run

sudo certbot certificates

Step 2 is Not Recommended.

Conclusion
The process of SSL certificate renewal is a critical aspect of maintaining a secure and trustworthy online presence. In this post, we explored the steps needed for the renewal of SSL certificates on an Ubuntu server which is very important aspect of server management in terms of securing data transmissions, establishing trust with visitors, and improving search engine rankings

Forem: Kwabena Nana Acheampong

Laravel Image Handling using Storage Link

Renew SSL Certificate on Ubuntu Nginx 22.04 / 20.04 / 18.04.