--- title: Introduction weight: 1 --- This package enables the creation of rich data objects which can be used in various ways. Using this package you only need to describe your data once: - instead of a form request, you can use a data object - instead of an API transformer, you can use a data object - instead of manually writing a typescript definition, you can use... 🥁 a data object A `laravel-data` specific object is just a regular PHP object that extends from `Data`: ```php use Spatie\LaravelData\Data; class SongData extends Data { public function __construct( public string $title, public string $artist, ) { } } ``` By extending from `Data` you enable a lot of new functionality like: - Automatically transforming data objects into resources (like the Laravel API resources) - Transform only the requested parts of data objects with lazy properties - Automatically creating data objects from request data and validating them - Automatically resolve validation rules for properties within a data object - Make it possible to construct a data object from any type you want - Add support for automatically validating data objects when creating them - Generate TypeScript definitions from your data objects you can use on the frontend - Save data objects as properties of an Eloquent model - And a lot more ... Why would you be using this package? - You can be sure that data is typed when it leaves your app and comes back again from the frontend which makes a lot less errors - You don't have to write the same properties three times (in a resource, in a data transfer object and in request validation) - You need to write a lot less of validation rules because they are obvious through PHP's type system - You get TypeScript versions of the data objects for free Let's dive right into it! ## Are you a visual learner? In this talk, given at Laracon US, you'll see [an introduction to Laravel Data](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrO_7Df1cBc). ## We have badges!