When you're writing a Laravel test like this:

$this->get('/subscribe');

…it looks like you're making a real HTTP request — like a browser visiting your site. But you’re not.

Laravel is doing something a little magical behind the scenes. And understanding that magic helps you become a better developer and tester.

Let’s take a look.

🛣️ What Happens When a Real User Visits Your Site

When someone visits your Laravel app in their browser (e.g. https://example.com/subscribe), this is roughly what happens:

1. The web server (like Apache or Nginx) points all requests to the public/index.php file.
2. This index.php file is the entry point to your Laravel app — it’s called the front controller.
3. From there, Laravel:

• • Boots the application
  • Loads up the routes and middleware
  • Figures out which controller or closure should handle the request
  • Runs that code and sends back a response (like an HTML page, JSON, or redirect)

So when a browser makes a request, Laravel does all the work — but it starts with the index.php file.

🧪 What Happens When You Call $this->get('/subscribe') in a Test

When you call $this->get() in a test, Laravel doesn't go through index.php at all.

Instead, it:

1. Creates a test version of your app, just like it would in production — but in memory.
2. Passes the request directly into the HTTP Kernel, which is the core part of Laravel that handles incoming requests.
3. Skips the web server, skips the network, and simulates the whole process entirely in PHP.
4. Returns a TestResponse, which you can assert on (e.g. assertSee, assertRedirect, etc.).

This is called feature testing. You're testing how features of your app behave together — routes, middleware, controllers, views — without needing a browser or server.

🤯 True Story: A Lead Dev Who Didn't Believe This

A few years ago, a lead developer on a project I was working on refused to believe that $this->get() didn’t make a real HTTP request.

He was convinced Laravel must be spinning up a tiny server in the background and hitting it through curl.

Spoiler: it wasn't.

Now you understand how this really works — and you officially know more than that lead dev. 😎
(And probably quite a few others!)