Laravel Enums

Enums provide type-safe, finite sets of values.

Related guides:

State Machines - For complex state transitions
Models - Model casts to enums
DTOs - DTOs with enum properties
form-requests.md - Enum validation

Always Use Backed Enums

Always use backed enums (string or int):

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Enums;

enum OrderStatus: string
{
    case Pending = 'pending';
    case Processing = 'processing';
    case Completed = 'completed';
    case Cancelled = 'cancelled';
}

Extending Enums

Leverage methods and traits on enums to add functionality where required. Keep shared behavior in app/Enums/Concerns/ traits.

// Direct methods for one-off behavior
enum OrderStatus: string
{
    case Pending = 'pending';
    case Completed = 'completed';

    public function label(): string
    {
        return match ($this) {
            self::Pending => 'Pending Review',
            self::Completed => 'Completed',
        };
    }

    public function color(): string
    {
        return match ($this) {
            self::Pending => 'yellow',
            self::Completed => 'green',
        };
    }
}

// Reusable trait for shared behavior across enums
trait HasLabel
{
    abstract public function label(): string;

    public static function labels(): array
    {
        return collect(self::cases())->mapWithKeys(
            fn ($enum) => [$enum->value => $enum->label()]
        )->toArray();
    }
}

Business Logic in Enums

Enums can contain behavior via match expressions:

enum PaymentProvider: string
{
    case Stripe = 'stripe';
    case PayPal = 'paypal';
    case Square = 'square';

    public function processingFee(int $amount): int
    {
        return match ($this) {
            self::Stripe => (int) ($amount * 0.029 + 30),
            self::PayPal => (int) ($amount * 0.034 + 30),
            self::Square => (int) ($amount * 0.026 + 10),
        };
    }

    public function supportsRefunds(): bool
    {
        return match ($this) {
            self::Stripe, self::PayPal => true,
            self::Square => false,
        };
    }
}

Usage in Models

protected function casts(): array
{
    return [
        'status' => OrderStatus::class,
        'payment_method' => PaymentMethod::class,
    ];
}

Usage in DTOs

public function __construct(
    public OrderStatus $status,
    public PaymentMethod $paymentMethod,
) {}

Usage in Validation

use Illuminate\Validation\Rules\Enum;

'status' => [
    'required',
    'string',
    'bail',
    new Enum(OrderStatus::class),
],

Common Patterns

Match Expressions

$message = match ($order->status) {
    OrderStatus::Pending => 'Your order is pending',
    OrderStatus::Processing => 'We are processing your order',
    OrderStatus::Completed => 'Your order is complete',
    OrderStatus::Cancelled => 'Your order was cancelled',
};

Queue Enum Example

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Enums;

enum Queue: string
{
    case Default = 'default';
    case Processing = 'processing';
    case Emails = 'emails';
    case Notifications = 'notifications';
}

Usage in jobs:

public function __construct(public Order $order)
{
    $this->onQueue(Queue::Emails->value);
}

Directory Structure

app/Enums/
├── OrderStatus.php
├── PaymentMethod.php
└── Queue.php

When to Use Enums vs State Machines

Use Enums:

Simple status fields
No transition logic
No side effects

Use State Machines:

Complex state transitions with rules
State-specific behavior
Transition side effects

See State Machines for state machines.

Summary

Enums provide:

Type safety
Finite value sets
Business logic encapsulation
UI helpers (labels, colors, icons)
IDE autocomplete

Always use backed enums with string or int values.

laravel-enums