Laravel Policy vs Gates Explained

Authorization is one of the most important aspects of web application security. It ensures that users only perform actions they are allowed to. Laravel provides two elegant ways to handle authorization: Gates and Policies.

Both are built into the Laravel framework and make it easy to manage user permissions, whether you’re working on a small project or a large enterprise application. In this guide, you’ll learn what Gates and Policies are, how they differ, and how to choose the right one for your project.

Understanding Authorization in Laravel

Before jumping into Gates and Policies, let’s clarify what authorization means.

• Authentication verifies who a user is (for example, via login).

• Authorization checks what that user can do (for example, whether they can edit or delete a post).

Laravel separates these two concerns beautifully. Once a user is authenticated, you can use authorization tools like Gates and Policies to define fine-grained permissions.

What Are Laravel Gates?

Gates are simple closures that determine if a user is authorized to perform a specific action. They are ideal for smaller applications or actions not directly tied to a model.

You typically define Gates in the App\Providers\AuthServiceProvider class. Here’s a simple example that checks if a user is an admin:

Gate::define('access-admin', function ($user) {
    return $user->is_admin;
});

Later, you can use this Gate anywhere in your application to verify permissions:

if (Gate::allows('access-admin')) {
    // Authorized user
}

This makes Gates straightforward and quick to implement for single-purpose checks.

When to Use Gates

Use Gates when:

• Your app is small or medium-sized.

• You have global checks that are not model-specific.

• You want fast, closure-based logic without extra files.

For example, Gates are perfect for checking administrative privileges or simple role validations across your app.

What Are Laravel Policies?

Policies are class-based authorization mechanisms that group related rules for a particular model. While Gates handle global permissions, Policies are best when you need structured control tied to specific models like User, Post, or Product.

A Policy class can define methods such as view, create, update, or delete, which correspond to user actions.

You can generate one using Artisan:

php artisan make:policy PostPolicy --model=Post

Laravel will create a file like app/Policies/PostPolicy.php, where you can define model-based rules. For example:

public function update(User $user, Post $post)
{
    return $user->id === $post->user_id;
}

This ensures only the post’s owner can update it.

In your controller, you simply call:

$this->authorize('update', $post);

Laravel automatically checks the related Policy method and grants or denies access.

When to Use Policies

Policies are the better choice when:

• You’re dealing with multiple models and need organized authorization logic.

• Your app has complex access control, like different permissions for authors, editors, or admins.

• You want to keep controllers clean and authorization reusable.

Policies shine in large projects where each model has distinct actions and permissions.

Gates vs Policies: Key Differences

In essence:

• Use Gates for simple or quick checks.

• Use Policies for structured, model-based rules.

Both can coexist in a single application — you can use Gates for high-level permissions (like admin checks) and Policies for resource-specific actions (like editing a post).

Using Gates in Controllers and Views

You can use Gates directly in controllers:

if (Gate::denies('access-admin')) {
    abort(403);
}

Or in Blade templates to show/hide UI elements based on user roles:

@can('access-admin')
    <a href="/admin">Admin Dashboard</a>
@endcan

This gives you flexibility in both backend and frontend logic without extra complexity.

Using Policies in Controllers and Routes

Laravel automatically detects which Policy method to use when you call $this->authorize() in your controller.

Example:

public function edit(Post $post)
{
    $this->authorize('update', $post);
    return view('posts.edit', compact('post'));
}

You can also use middleware for Policies to protect routes:

Route::put('/posts/{post}', [PostController::class, 'update'])
     ->middleware('can:update,post');

This ensures the user cannot even access the route without proper authorization.

Combining Gates and Policies

In real-world applications, you often need both. For example:

• Gate: Controls whether a user is an admin.

• Policy: Defines what actions that admin can perform on models.

Example workflow:

1. A Gate confirms if the user has admin privileges.

2. A Policy checks if the admin can delete a particular user or record.

This layered approach keeps your logic organized and your codebase clean.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Many developers misuse Gates and Policies, leading to messy or insecure code. Avoid these pitfalls:

1. Putting logic directly in controllers – Always separate authorization using Gates or Policies.

2. Not registering Policies in AuthServiceProvider – Unregistered Policies won’t work.

3. Hardcoding roles – Always use dynamic checks via user attributes or relationships.

4. Ignoring middleware – Middleware makes routes more secure and avoids repeated checks.

Proper structure keeps your application consistent, easier to maintain, and safer from privilege misuse.

Testing Authorization

Authorization logic should always be tested to prevent unauthorized access. Laravel makes this easy using PHPUnit.

Example test:

public function test_user_can_update_own_post()
{
    $user = User::factory()->create();
    $post = Post::factory()->create(['user_id' => $user->id]);

    $this->assertTrue($user->can('update', $post));
}

This confirms that only the rightful post owner can update their content.

Automated testing ensures that future changes don’t break your access rules.

Best Practices for Authorization in Laravel

To make the most of Laravel’s authorization system, follow these best practices:

• Keep authorization logic out of controllers — use dedicated Gates or Policies.

• Use Policies for model-specific permissions and Gates for global ones.

• Protect sensitive routes with can middleware.

• Test all authorization rules regularly.

• Be consistent in naming your permissions (e.g., update, delete, view).

• Use @can and @cannot in Blade for clean UI logic.

Consistency and clarity make your code predictable and easier for your team to understand.

Conclusion

Laravel provides two powerful mechanisms — Gates and Policies — to handle authorization in a clean and flexible way.

• Use Gates for simple, global rules like checking if a user is an admin.

• Use Policies for model-based rules like controlling who can update or delete records.

Both work seamlessly together and can scale as your application grows. By organizing authorization logic effectively, you’ll keep your Laravel app secure, maintainable, and future-proof.

Mastering Gates and Policies gives you complete control over user access — a crucial step toward building professional-grade Laravel applications.