Laravel Typed Enums: Casts, Rules & PHP 8.3 Patterns | Mohamed Said [ ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01KT78WE565VEMM3PSNQAAB0MH.png) Mohamed Said Laravel Backend Engineer ](https://msaied.com) [ Home ](https://msaied.com) [ Projects ](https://msaied.com/projects) [ Articles ](https://msaied.com/articles) [ Certificates ](https://msaied.com/certificates) [ Contact ](https://msaied.com#contact-section) [ ](https://github.com/EG-Mohamed) [ Home ](https://msaied.com) [ Projects ](https://msaied.com/projects) [ Articles ](https://msaied.com/articles) [ Certificates ](https://msaied.com/certificates) [ Contact ](https://msaied.com#contact-section) [ home ](https://msaied.com) [ articles ](https://msaied.com/articles) Laravel Typed Enums as First-Class Citizens: Casts, Rules, and PHP 8.3 Features On this page 1. [ Why Enums Deserve More Than a CastsAttributes Afterthought ](#why-enums-deserve-more-than-a-codecastsattributescode-afterthought) 2. [ 1. Backed Enums as Eloquent Casts ](#1-backed-enums-as-eloquent-casts) 3. [ 2. Enum-Aware Validation Rules ](#2-enum-aware-validation-rules) 4. [ 3. Route Model Binding with Enums ](#3-route-model-binding-with-enums) 5. [ 4. PHP 8.3 Typed Class Constants ](#4-php-83-typed-class-constants) 6. [ 5. Serialising Enums in API Resources ](#5-serialising-enums-in-api-resources) 7. [ Takeaways ](#takeaways) ![Laravel Typed Enums as First-Class Citizens: Casts, Rules, and PHP 8.3 Features](https://cdn.msaied.com/483/0b80ca4c39b98b48f8d3475ac949ea0f.png) #laravel #php #enums #eloquent #api Laravel Typed Enums as First-Class Citizens: Casts, Rules, and PHP 8.3 Features ================================================================================= 29 Jul 2026 3 min read ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01KT78WE565VEMM3PSNQAAB0MJ.jpg) Mohamed Said Table of contents 1. [ 01 Why Enums Deserve More Than a CastsAttributes Afterthought ](#why-enums-deserve-more-than-a-codecastsattributescode-afterthought) 2. [ 02 1. Backed Enums as Eloquent Casts ](#1-backed-enums-as-eloquent-casts) 3. [ 03 2. Enum-Aware Validation Rules ](#2-enum-aware-validation-rules) 4. [ 04 3. Route Model Binding with Enums ](#3-route-model-binding-with-enums) 5. [ 05 4. PHP 8.3 Typed Class Constants ](#4-php-83-typed-class-constants) 6. [ 06 5. Serialising Enums in API Resources ](#5-serialising-enums-in-api-resources) 7. [ 07 Takeaways ](#takeaways) Why Enums Deserve More Than a `CastsAttributes` Afterthought ------------------------------------------------------------ Most teams adopt backed enums, slap `->casts` on the model, and call it done. That leaves a lot of safety on the table. Enums can own their own validation logic, drive route resolution, and — with PHP 8.3 typed class constants — become genuinely self-documenting domain primitives. --- 1. Backed Enums as Eloquent Casts --------------------------------- Laravel resolves any `BackedEnum` class directly in the `$casts` array: ```php // app/Enums/OrderStatus.php enum OrderStatus: string { case Pending = 'pending'; case Confirmed = 'confirmed'; case Shipped = 'shipped'; case Cancelled = 'cancelled'; public function label(): string { return match($this) { self::Pending => 'Awaiting Payment', self::Confirmed => 'Order Confirmed', self::Shipped => 'On Its Way', self::Cancelled => 'Cancelled', }; } public function isTerminal(): bool { return in_array($this, [self::Shipped, self::Cancelled], true); } } ``` ```php // app/Models/Order.php protected $casts = [ 'status' => OrderStatus::class, ]; ``` Now `$order->status` is always an `OrderStatus` instance — never a raw string. Calling `$order->status->label()` is safe everywhere without defensive checks. --- 2. Enum-Aware Validation Rules ------------------------------ Laravel ships `Rule::enum()`, but you can push logic into the enum itself for reuse across HTTP and CLI contexts: ```php use Illuminate\Validation\Rules\Enum; // In a Form Request public function rules(): array { return [ 'status' => ['required', new Enum(OrderStatus::class)], ]; } ``` For transitions, a custom rule keeps the policy inside the enum: ```php enum OrderStatus: string { // ... cases above ... /** @return self[] */ public function allowedTransitions(): array { return match($this) { self::Pending => [self::Confirmed, self::Cancelled], self::Confirmed => [self::Shipped, self::Cancelled], default => [], }; } } ``` ```php // app/Rules/ValidStatusTransition.php class ValidStatusTransition implements ValidationRule { public function __construct(private readonly OrderStatus $current) {} public function validate(string $attribute, mixed $value, Closure $fail): void { $next = OrderStatus::tryFrom($value); if ($next === null || ! in_array($next, $this->current->allowedTransitions(), true)) { $fail("Cannot transition from {$this->current->value} to {$value}."); } } } ``` The rule is instantiated with the *current* status, so the transition matrix lives in one place. --- 3. Route Model Binding with Enums --------------------------------- Bind an enum directly in a route without a custom resolver: ```php // routes/api.php Route::get('/orders/status/{status}', [OrderController::class, 'byStatus']); ``` ```php // app/Http/Controllers/OrderController.php public function byStatus(OrderStatus $status): JsonResponse { $orders = Order::where('status', $status)->paginate(); return response()->json($orders); } ``` Laravel automatically calls `OrderStatus::from($routeValue)` and returns a 404 if the value is invalid — zero boilerplate. --- 4. PHP 8.3 Typed Class Constants -------------------------------- PHP 8.3 allows typed constants on enums, which is perfect for associating metadata without a separate config file: ```php enum OrderStatus: string { case Pending = 'pending'; case Confirmed = 'confirmed'; case Shipped = 'shipped'; case Cancelled = 'cancelled'; // Typed constant — enforced by the engine const array TERMINAL = [self::Shipped, self::Cancelled]; const string DEFAULT = self::Pending->value; } ``` Now `OrderStatus::TERMINAL` is a typed `array` constant — no docblock needed, and static analysis tools understand it without plugins. --- 5. Serialising Enums in API Resources ------------------------------------- Avoid leaking raw values or accidentally serialising the enum object: ```php // app/Http/Resources/OrderResource.php public function toArray(Request $request): array { return [ 'id' => $this->id, 'status' => [ 'value' => $this->status->value, 'label' => $this->status->label(), 'terminal' => $this->status->isTerminal(), ], ]; } ``` Frontend consumers get a stable contract with both machine and human-readable representations. --- Takeaways --------- - Use `$casts` with the enum class directly — Laravel handles `BackedEnum` natively. - Push transition logic into the enum itself; validation rules just delegate to it. - Route model binding resolves backed enums automatically with a 404 on invalid values. - PHP 8.3 typed constants let enums carry structured metadata without external config. - Serialise enums explicitly in API resources to keep frontend contracts stable. Found this useful? [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmsaied.com%2Farticles%2Flaravel-typed-enums-as-first-class-citizens-casts-rules-and-php-83-features&text=Laravel+Typed+Enums+as+First-Class+Citizens%3A+Casts%2C+Rules%2C+and+PHP+8.3+Features) [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmsaied.com%2Farticles%2Flaravel-typed-enums-as-first-class-citizens-casts-rules-and-php-83-features) Frequently Asked Questions ---------------------------- 3 questions Q01 Does Laravel automatically validate enum values when casting? No. The cast silently returns null for invalid values when using `tryFrom` internally. You still need `Rule::enum()` or a custom validation rule in your Form Request to reject bad input before it reaches the model. Q02 Can I use a pure (non-backed) enum as an Eloquent cast? Not directly. Eloquent's built-in enum cast requires a `BackedEnum` because it needs a scalar value to store in the database. For pure enums you must implement a custom `CastsAttributes` class. Q03 Are PHP 8.3 typed constants on enums supported by PHPStan and Psalm? Yes. Both PHPStan (level 6+) and Psalm understand typed class constants on enums as of their current stable releases, giving you full static analysis coverage without extra stubs. Continue reading More Articles --------------- [ View all ](https://msaied.com/articles) [ ![MySQL Query Profiling in Laravel: EXPLAIN ANALYZE, Slow Query Log, and Index Hints](https://cdn.msaied.com/481/8bfc417cb94b3e2868428e065fe4b166.png) laravel mysql performance ### MySQL Query Profiling in Laravel: EXPLAIN ANALYZE, Slow Query Log, and Index Hints Stop guessing why a query is slow. 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