Authentication & SSO Integration (Keycloak, OAuth, JWT)
Middleware ensures only authenticated users can access routes.
Enterprise Use Cases
Validate Keycloak access tokens in API requests.
Refresh expired tokens automatically.
Enforce user roles like partner, admin, rider, doctor.
Block users with incomplete profile actions (e.g., OTP not completed).
Validate Google login sessions in multi-domain architecture.
Authorization (Roles & Permissions)
After authentication, middleware checks whether the user has permission to access a resource.
Examples
Admin can access admin routes.
Partner can access vehicle-management routes.
Doctor can access his own appointments only.
Rider cannot access partner dashboard.
Enterprise Role
This protects business logic, making the system stable and secure.
Input Sanitization & Security Filters
Middleware can clean the incoming request before it reaches the controller.
Why it matters
Enterprise apps are exposed to:
SQL Injection
XSS
CSRF
Malicious scripts
Bots and crawlers
Middleware can:
Strip harmful characters
Block spam requests
Prevent CSRF on POST/PUT routes
Validate headers
Enforce HTTPS redirects
Rate Limiting & Throttling (High-Traffic Systems)
In real-time systems, traffic spikes can break your server.
Middleware helps:
Limit API calls (e.g., 60 requests/min per IP)
Prevent abuse (login attempt throttling)
Protect microservices from overload
Use Cases
Prevent brute-force login attacks
Control mobile app API request flood
Manage search APIs to avoid heavy DB load
Logging & Monitoring
Before hitting the controller, middleware can log important debug information.
Useful for
Performance monitoring
Request tracing across microservices
Debugging production issues
Saving audit logs (who did what?)
Examples
Log API requests from Flutter
Log JWT verification failures
Log slow API responses
Multi-Tenancy & Multi-Domain Routing
Enterprise systems often serve different business units.
Middleware helps in:
Detect domain
Detect tenant (hospital, shop, partner)
Set database connection dynamically
Redirect to correct dashboard
Example
MotoShare has:
motoshare.in
motoshare.us
admin portals
Each can have its own middleware to control access and routing.
Language / Localization Middleware
Useful for international apps.
Automatically sets:
Language (EN, JP, AR)
Currency formatting
Country-based validations
Business Logic Validation Before Controller
Sometimes you need to block actions early.
Examples
Vehicle cannot be marked Ready if RC not approved.
Hospital cannot publish profile without required documents.
Doctor cannot accept bookings without KYC.
Rider cannot start ride until payment done.
Middleware is the best place to enforce these rules.
API Versioning (v1, v2, v3)
Enterprise apps evolve over time.
Middleware can:
Route traffic to specific API versions
Block deprecated APIs
Apply new validations to new versions
Microservice Communication Validation
When Laravel microservices call each other, middleware ensures:
Valid service tokens
No unauthorized internal request
Logs for inter-service communication
Prevents fake or corrupted requests
Example
mhn-core-ms → mhn-hospital-ms → mhn-quote-ms
All these should use middleware to verify service keys.
CORS Handling (Mobile Apps + Web Apps)
Middleware manages cross-domain access.
Useful for:
Flutter apps
React/Angular/Vue apps
Multi-domain login (SSO)
Google/Apple login callbacks
Cache Handling & Response Optimization
Middleware can:
Cache responses
Reduce DB load
Speed up API responses
Store profile data temporarily
Useful for:
Hospital profile caching
Vehicle list caching
Homepage caching
Maintenance Mode Enforcement
Middleware can show a custom "system under maintenance" page for users, while allowing admins to continue working.
Queue / Job Trigger Middleware
Certain actions need to push tasks to queues.
Middleware can automatically:
Push email jobs
Push logging jobs
Trigger background processing
Defer heavy operations
Subscription / Billing / Plan Enforcement
If you offer paid plans, middleware restricts features based on subscription level.
Conclusion
Middleware is one of the most critical building blocks for enterprise Laravel apps. It strengthens:
Security
Performance
User experience
Business rules
Real-time validation
Multi-domain flows
Microservice communication
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