Laravel and PHP development
CodeIgniter to Laravel migration, in safe stages
A CodeIgniter to Laravel migration makes sense when your app has outgrown CodeIgniter and you want the Laravel ecosystem for the next five years of features. I move apps in stages, usually route by route on top of your existing database, so customers keep working while the old code is retired. Data, user passwords and URLs are planned for from day one, not discovered at the end.
What’s included
- Audit of the CodeIgniter app: routes, controllers, models, libraries, cron jobs and integrations
- A migration plan that compares a staged (strangler) approach with a full rewrite for your app
- A new Laravel application with Eloquent models mapped to your existing tables
- Authentication migration that keeps users' passwords working, including old MD5 or SHA1 hashes
- Rewriting CI libraries as Laravel services, jobs, form requests and policies
- Moving cron-called controllers to Laravel's scheduler and queued jobs
- Idempotent data scripts for any schema changes, tested on a copy of production
- A 301 redirect map for every URL that changes, including old index.php URLs
- Cutover, rollback plan, and decommissioning of the CodeIgniter code
Who a CodeIgniter to Laravel migration is for
This page is for teams that have decided to leave CodeIgniter. Typical reasons: the roadmap needs queues, scheduled jobs, an API for a mobile app, real-time features or complex roles; hiring CodeIgniter developers is getting harder; or the CI3 code is so tangled that most of it would be rewritten in any case.
If your app is stable and you mainly need it to run on current PHP, a move within the same framework is cheaper and quicker. That is a different project, covered on my CodeIgniter 3 to 4 migration page. I will tell you honestly which one fits after seeing the code.
The same approach works for older core PHP apps with no framework at all. A legacy PHP to Laravel migration follows the same stages, with a longer audit because there are no conventions to rely on.
Strangler approach or full rewrite?
There are two ways to migrate CodeIgniter 3 to Laravel, and the choice drives the whole project.
In a staged (strangler) migration, Laravel sits in front. Routes that have been rebuilt are served by Laravel, and everything else is passed to the CodeIgniter app, either by web server rules or a small fallback route. Both apps share the same MySQL database during the transition. Each release moves a few more modules across, and the CI app shrinks until it can be switched off. You get value early and the risk of any single release is small.
In a full rewrite, the Laravel version is built separately and replaces the old app in one cutover. It is simpler to reason about and fine for small apps, but it delays all value to the end and the big-bang switch carries more risk.
- Staged suits apps with many modules, daily users and a business that cannot pause
- Staged needs shared login between the two apps, which is the hardest technical piece
- Full rewrite suits small apps, apps with very few users, or apps where the data model is being redesigned anyway
- Either way, the database usually stays as it is at first and is cleaned up with Laravel migrations later
How CodeIgniter code maps to Laravel
The safest way to convert a CodeIgniter project to Laravel without losing business rules is to map each CI piece to its Laravel home rather than translating line by line:
- CI_Model classes become Eloquent models on your existing tables, using $table, $primaryKey and custom timestamp columns where needed
- Raw SQL and Query Builder calls move to Eloquent or Laravel's query builder, with bindings instead of concatenated strings
- Form validation rules become Form Request classes
- Hooks and MY_Controller checks become middleware and policies
- Custom libraries become service classes registered in the container
- Controllers called by cron from the CLI become scheduled commands and queued jobs
- Views become Blade templates, with output escaped by default
- config.php and database.php values move to .env and config files
Data and authentication migration without locking users out
Passwords are where migrations hurt customers. If your CI app used PHP's password_hash() with bcrypt, Laravel can check those hashes directly. If it used MD5 or SHA1, which older CI3 apps often did, I add a legacy check: on the next successful login the password is verified the old way and immediately re-hashed with bcrypt or Argon2, and a flag records that the user has moved. Nobody is forced to reset.
During a staged migration, only one app owns login. Usually Laravel takes over login early and the CI side trusts it through a shared, signed session check, so users never sign in twice. Any data changes run through idempotent scripts that can be repeated safely, and every script is rehearsed on a copy of production before the real cutover.
URLs matter for search. CodeIgniter apps often have index.php in links or auto-routed paths like /controller/method/id. I build a redirect map so every old URL returns a 301 to its new home, and I check it against your sitemap and Search Console data. If the site's organic traffic is important, the SEO website migration service covers the search side in more depth.
Why hire me for CodeIgniter to Laravel migration
Good laravel migration services need someone fluent on both sides. I have shipped CodeIgniter 3 code and Perfex CRM modules, and I work in Laravel and PHP 8 every day. I know where CI3 apps hide their logic, and I know what a well-structured Laravel app should look like at the end: the export operations ERP is a Laravel 12 system I led as technical lead, with per-company access, GST and statutory PDFs.
You work directly with the engineer doing the migration. I am based in India and work remotely with clients in different time zones; we agree on update times at the start and you see each stage on staging before it goes live.
What drives the cost and timeline
I do not quote from a feature list alone. After a short call or a written brief and a look at the code, you get a fixed quote, either for the whole migration or per stage. The biggest drivers are the number of modules and integrations, how much logic lives in views and helpers, the password hashing in use, how many URLs are indexed, and whether you want new features built during the migration or after it.
A staged plan also lets you spread the cost: start with the modules that change most often, and leave stable, rarely touched screens for last.
How the work runs
Audit and route inventory
I list every route, controller method, table, library, cron job and external integration, and mark what is used, unused or risky. This becomes the migration checklist.
Laravel foundation on your database
A new Laravel app with Eloquent models mapped to the current tables, authentication with legacy hash support, logging and deployment set up before any feature moves.
Move modules in slices
Each slice is rebuilt in Laravel, tested against the CI behavior on real data copies, and released behind the routing layer. CodeIgniter keeps serving everything else.
Data clean-up and redirects
Once Laravel owns a module, schema improvements run as Laravel migrations, and the 301 map is updated and tested for every URL that changed.
Switch off CodeIgniter
When the last route moves, the CI app is archived, its cron jobs removed and the server simplified. I support the app closely through the first weeks.
Tools and technologies
- Laravel 12 and 13
- PHP 8.3 and 8.4
- CodeIgniter 3
- Eloquent
- MySQL and MariaDB
- Laravel queues and scheduler
- Blade
- Pest and PHPUnit
- Nginx and Apache
- Git
- Linux VPS and cPanel
About past work
Client work for this service is private, so it is not shown here. On a call I can walk you through comparable projects, what was done and how it turned out. The case studies show how I approach engineering problems in general.
Questions
How long does it take to migrate a CodeIgniter app to Laravel?
It depends on size: a small app can move in a few weeks, a multi-module business system in several months. A staged migration starts delivering Laravel modules within the first weeks, so you are not waiting for one big release.
Is there a CodeIgniter to Laravel converter?
No tool converts a CodeIgniter to Laravel project reliably. Converters can rename files or scaffold models from tables, but they cannot move business rules out of controllers, views and helpers correctly. That part is engineering work, done module by module.
Will my data be preserved?
Yes. In most migrations the database stays where it is and Laravel reads the same tables. Schema changes come later, through tested scripts, with a backup taken before each one.
Will users have to reset their passwords?
No. Bcrypt hashes from password_hash() work in Laravel as they are, and older MD5 or SHA1 hashes are upgraded automatically the next time each user logs in.
Will my Google rankings drop after the migration?
They should hold if every changed URL gets a 301 redirect to its new equivalent and titles and content stay comparable. I build and test the redirect map before cutover and check Search Console afterwards.
Should I upgrade to CodeIgniter 4 first and then move to Laravel?
Usually not. Both moves touch every controller and model, so doing both means paying twice. If Laravel is the destination, go straight there; if you want to stay, see CodeIgniter 3 to 4 migration.
Can you add new features during the migration?
Yes, and in a staged migration it is often the best time, because new features are built once in Laravel instead of twice. We agree which features go in which stage so the scope stays clear.
Related services
Further reading
Tell me what you are building.
A few lines about the project, who will use it and when it needs to ship are enough to start. You get a straight answer on whether codeigniter to laravel migration is the right fit, and what it would take.
- Status
- Available for new projects
- Reply time
- I reply within an hour during working hours.
- Working hours
- 9 AM to 9 PM IST (UTC+5:30)
- Languages
- English, Hindi, Gujarati
Prefer email? Write to jaygajjar.dev@gmail.com.