Inventory Management System - Laravel
Project
Project Overview
The Inventory Management System is a web-based application developed using the Laravel PHP
framework to streamline inventory tracking and management for businesses. It provides a user-
friendly interface for managing products, stock levels, suppliers, and generating reports, ensuring
efficient inventory control.
Objectives
Automate inventory tracking to reduce manual errors.
Provide real-time stock updates and alerts for low inventory.
Enable user authentication and role-based access control.
Generate reports for inventory status and transaction history.
Features
1. User Management
User registration and login with email/password.
Role-based access (Admin, Manager, Staff).
Password reset functionality.
2. Product Management
Add, update, and delete products.
Categorize products (e.g., Electronics, Clothing).
Store product details (name, SKU, price, description).
3. Inventory Management
Track stock levels in real-time.
Record stock additions (purchases) and deductions (sales).
Set low-stock alerts.
4. Supplier Management
Manage supplier details (name, contact, address).
Link products to suppliers.
Track supplier transactions.
5. Reports and Analytics
Generate inventory reports (e.g., stock levels, sales).
Export reports in PDF or Excel format.
Dashboard with key metrics (e.g., total products, low stock).
6. Additional Features
Search and filter products/suppliers.
Audit logs for tracking user actions.
Responsive design for mobile and desktop access.
Technologies Used
Backend: Laravel 10.x (PHP 8.2)
Frontend: Blade templates, Bootstrap 5, jQuery
Database: MySQL
Authentication: Laravel Breeze
Authorization: Laravel Gate/Policy
PDF/Excel Export: DomPDF, Maatwebsite/Excel
Version Control: Git (GitHub)
Deployment: Laravel Forge, Apache/Nginx
System Architecture
The system follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture provided by Laravel:
Models: Represent database entities (e.g., Product, Supplier, User).
Views: Blade templates for rendering the user interface.
Controllers: Handle business logic and route requests.
Database Schema (Key Tables)
users: Stores user details (id, name, email, password, role).
products: Stores product details (id, name, sku, category_id, price, quantity).
categories: Stores product categories (id, name).
suppliers: Stores supplier details (id, name, contact, address).
stock_transactions: Tracks stock changes (id, product_id, type, quantity, date).
audit_logs: Logs user actions (id, user_id, action, timestamp).
Implementation Details
1. Setup
Install Laravel: composer create-project laravel/laravel inventory-system
Configure .env for database (MySQL) and mail settings.
Run migrations: php artisan migrate
2. Authentication
Install Laravel Breeze: composer require laravel/breeze --dev
Set up authentication scaffolding: php artisan breeze:install
Implement role-based middleware for access control.
3. Product and Inventory Management
Create Product and StockTransaction models with relationships.
Use Laravel Resource Controllers for CRUD operations.
Implement stock update logic in the StockTransaction model.
4. Reports
Use DomPDF for PDF generation: composer require barryvdh/laravel-dompdf
Use Maatwebsite/Excel for Excel exports: composer require maatwebsite/excel
Create report views with data aggregation (e.g., total stock value).
5. Security
Use Laravel’s CSRF protection for forms.
Sanitize user inputs using Laravel Validation.
Encrypt sensitive data (e.g., supplier contacts).
Installation Instructions
1. Clone the repository: git clone [Link]
[Link]
2. Install dependencies: composer install
3. Copy .[Link] to .env and configure database/mail settings.
4. Generate app key: php artisan key:generate
5. Run migrations and seeders: php artisan migrate --seed
6. Start the server: php artisan serve
7. Access the application at [Link]
Future Enhancements
Integrate barcode scanning for product entry.
Add multi-warehouse support.
Implement API endpoints for mobile app integration.
Enhance analytics with graphical charts (e.g., [Link]).
Conclusion
The Inventory Management System built with Laravel provides a robust solution for businesses
to manage their inventory efficiently. Its modular design allows for easy scalability and
customization to meet specific business needs.
