Building SaaS with Laravel 12 and Filament 4: Complete 2025 Guide

Building a SaaS application in 2025 requires a robust tech stack that can handle scalability, security, and seamless user experiences. Laravel 12 and Filament 4 provide the perfect foundation for this, offering powerful tools for authentication, subscriptions, and multi-tenancy. In this guide, I'll walk you through the entire process, from setup to deployment.

Why Laravel 12 and Filament 4 for SaaS?

Laravel 12 introduces several performance improvements and new features that make it ideal for SaaS development. Combined with Filament 4's admin panel capabilities, you can build a fully functional SaaS application in record time. Here's why this stack stands out:

• Built-in Authentication: Laravel's starter kits (Breeze, Jetstream) simplify user management.
• Eloquent ORM: Handle database operations with ease.
• Filament Admin Panel: Quickly build admin interfaces without leaving Laravel.
• Stripe Integration: Easily manage subscriptions and payments.

Setting Up Your Project

First, ensure you have PHP 8.3+ and Composer installed. Create a new Laravel 12 project:

composer create-project laravel/laravel saas-app
cd saas-app

Next, install Filament 4:

composer require filament/filament

Filament provides a beautiful admin panel out of the box. Publish its assets and run the migrations:

php artisan filament:install --panels
php artisan migrate

Implementing Multi-Tenancy

Multi-tenancy is crucial for SaaS applications. Laravel offers several approaches, but I prefer using the stancl/tenancy package for its simplicity and flexibility.

Install the package:

composer require stancl/tenancy

Follow the setup instructions in the package documentation. You'll need to configure your Tenant model and set up tenant-specific databases or schemas.

Authentication and User Roles

Laravel's built-in authentication makes it easy to handle user registration and login. I recommend using Laravel Fortify for a headless authentication backend.

composer require laravel/fortify
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Laravel\Fortify\FortifyServiceProvider"

For role management, Spatie's laravel-permission package is my go-to choice:

composer require spatie/laravel-permission

Subscription Management with Stripe

Stripe is the gold standard for handling SaaS subscriptions. Laravel Cashier simplifies Stripe integration:

composer require laravel/cashier

Configure your Stripe keys in .env and set up subscription plans in the Stripe dashboard. Here's a basic example of creating a subscription:

$user->newSubscription('default', 'price_123')->create($paymentMethod);

Deployment Strategies

Deploying a SaaS application requires careful planning. I prefer using Laravel Forge for server management and Envoyer for zero-downtime deployments. Here's a basic deployment script:

composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev
php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache
php artisan view:cache
php artisan migrate --force

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Ignoring Tenant Isolation: Always ensure data is properly isolated between tenants.
• Overcomplicating the UI: Filament 4 is powerful, but don't overwhelm users with unnecessary features.
• Skipping Automated Tests: SaaS applications need robust testing to prevent issues.

Conclusion

Building a SaaS with Laravel 12 and Filament 4 is a powerful combination that can save you countless hours of development time. From authentication to subscription management, this stack has everything you need to launch your next SaaS product successfully.