Authentication Data v2.4.0 Updated 2026-01-15
Laravel Sanctum
Simple API authentication for Laravel
N/A N/A Unknown N/A
91 /100
Quick Verdict
Best For
- First-party SPAs with Laravel backend
- Simple API token authentication
- Mobile apps with basic auth needs
- Internal APIs
Consider Alternatives If
- Third-party OAuth providers (use Socialite)
- Complex OAuth flows (use Passport)
- Multi-tenant SaaS with external clients
Top Alternatives
Score Breakdown
6 dimensions evaluated with transparent methodology
Performance
92 −8
Minimal overhead for authentication
- Lightweight token verification
- Database-backed tokens with caching
- No complex OAuth overhead
Why not 100%:
- −4 Token table can grow large
- −4 No built-in token refresh
Developer Experience
95 −5
Drop-in authentication for Laravel
- One command installation
- Works with existing User model
- Simple API token generation
Why not 100%:
- −2 Less flexible than Passport for OAuth
- −2 Mobile token management is basic
Ecosystem
90 −10
First-party Laravel package
- Included in Laravel Breeze/Jetstream
- Works with all Laravel features
- Active maintenance by Laravel
Why not 100%:
- −5 Not for complex OAuth scenarios
- −5 Limited third-party extensions
Maintainability
92 −8
Official Laravel package with LTS
- Maintained by Laravel team
- Follows Laravel release cycle
- Stable API
Why not 100%:
- −4 Tied to Laravel versions
- −4 Major Laravel upgrades may require updates
Cost Efficiency
95 −5
Free, included with Laravel
- MIT licensed
- No external dependencies
- No API costs
Why not 100%:
- −5 None significant
Compliance
88 −12
Secure token management
- Token hashing by default
- Ability-based authorization
- Token expiration support
Why not 100%:
- −6 Token revocation is manual
- −6 No built-in audit logging
Compare Alternatives
How Laravel Sanctum stacks up against similar technologies
| Technology | Overall | Perf | DX | Ecosystem | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Laravel Sanctum | 91 | 92 | 95 | 90 | |
| Laravel Breeze Full auth scaffolding | 88 | — | — | — | Compare → |
| Clerk Managed, multi-framework | 86 | — | — | — | Compare → |
Sources & Methodology
How we calculate these scores: transparent and reproducible
primary
GitHub
Repository activity, stars, contributors, issue resolution time
contextual
Community Signals
Stack Overflow activity, Discord engagement, developer surveys
Data version:
2.4.0 Last updated: 2026-01-15 Confidence: 90%