If your Laravel homepage loads but every other URL returns a 404, first find out whether the web server is failing to forward the request to Laravel or Laravel is receiving it and finding no matching route. Those are different problems with different fixes. Check the site’s document root and rewrite rules, then verify the failing route and HTTP method in Laravel.
First identify which layer returns the 404
Record the exact failing URL and the request method, such as GET or POST. Then determine whether the response comes from the web server or from Laravel. A server-level failure points toward document-root or request-forwarding configuration; a Laravel 404 means the request reached the application but did not match a registered route. The symptom alone does not establish which layer is responsible.
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Compare the failing response with Laravel’s own 404 page and, if available, inspect the response headers and server or application logs. These clues can help locate the layer, though appearance alone is not definitive.
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Check that the web server sends requests to Laravel
Confirm the document root
Laravel’s deployment guidance says the web server should direct requests to the application’s public/index.php, with the document root set to the project’s public directory. Do not move index.php into the project root: Laravel warns that doing so can expose sensitive configuration files. See Laravel’s deployment documentation.
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If the site uses Nginx
Compare the active virtual-host configuration with Laravel’s current Nginx example. Its try_files directive sends requests that do not match an existing file or directory to the front controller:
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;Use this as a starting point, not a universal drop-in configuration. Check that the PHP-FPM and front-controller handling also match your server setup, and reload or validate the configuration using the procedure appropriate to your environment. The Laravel example is in the Laravel 13.x deployment guide.
If the site uses Apache
Verify that mod_rewrite is enabled, that the project’s .htaccess file is present and readable by Apache, and that the directory configuration allows its rewrite rules to take effect. Laravel’s Apache note about the module dependency is from its Laravel 5.4 installation documentation; treat it as historical guidance, and confirm the configuration for your current Apache and Laravel versions: Laravel 5.4 installation documentation.
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Laravel defines routes in the project’s routes directory. A request that does not match a registered route returns a 404 response. Check the failing URL against the route’s full path, including any group prefix, and confirm that the route accepts the request’s HTTP method. Also verify that the relevant route file is registered for the installed Laravel version. The Laravel routing documentation explains route definitions and matching.
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Inspect the routes Laravel has actually registered in the deployed environment, rather than relying only on the source file you expect it to load. The route:list Artisan command displays registered routes; use the method and URI columns to compare them with the failing request.
Check route caching after a deployment
Laravel documents route:cache as a deployment optimization. If you changed routes but the deployed application still shows an earlier route set, check whether route caching is in use and regenerate the cache as part of the deployment. Do this after confirming which routes are registered; a stale cache is one possible deployment issue, not an assumed explanation for every 404. See Laravel’s routing documentation.
Use the symptom to choose the next check
- The request appears not to reach Laravel: verify the document root, front-controller forwarding, and the active Nginx or Apache rewrite configuration.
- Laravel returns the 404: compare the request method and complete path with registered routes, including prefixes and route-file registration.
- Routes changed during deployment: inspect the registered route list and refresh route caching if your deployment uses it.
A 404 by itself is not evidence that file permissions are wrong, and broad cache-clearing commands are not the first diagnostic step. Start with request forwarding and route registration, which distinguish the two main failure paths.
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