Taking over a Laravel project: what to check before building new features

Before adding features, make sure you can access, run and safely change the application. A project handover is a good moment to understand what you have, what is missing and what needs attention first.

1. Know what you actually own

Get a clear picture of what is included in the project and who controls it. You need more than a copy of the code: identify the hosting account, domain, deployment process and third-party services.

• You have access to the source repository.
• Hosting and deployment accounts are under your control.
• Third-party services and their owners are documented.

2. Make sure the app can run elsewhere

Ask the developer to set up a separate development environment from the repository and written instructions. This reveals missing configuration, undocumented steps and dependencies on a single machine.

Document required environment variables without publishing secrets. Note how database migrations, queues, scheduled tasks and frontend assets are handled. Keep real customer data out of an unsecured test environment.

3. Review dependencies and critical flows

Identify the versions and external services the application depends on. Have the developer check their support status and assess upgrades in the context of your application rather than updating everything at once.

Walk through the flows that matter to your business: sign-in, payments, customer requests and background jobs. Record what you tested and what still needs verification. A backup is useful only if you can restore it.

4. Turn findings into a practical plan

Group the findings into immediate risks, maintenance work and future improvements. Agree who owns each item, how completion will be checked and what can wait. The result should be a manageable next step, not an automatic decision to rewrite the whole application.