Laravel middleware not redirecting to custom login page

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following are installed on your system:

Git
Git is a version control system used to manage code changes.
👉 Download Git and follow the installation instructions for your OS.
PHP (v7.3 or higher)
Laravel requires PHP.
Check your version using:
```
php -v
```
Composer
A dependency manager for PHP, used to install Laravel and its packages.
👉 Download Composer and follow the installation steps for your OS.
Web Server
While Laravel includes a built-in development server, it’s recommended to use Apache or Nginx for production.
Database
Ensure a supported DBMS (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, etc.) is installed if your project uses a database.

Creating a Custom Authentication Middleware in Laravel

Step 1 – Create a Custom Middleware

Generate the middleware:

php artisan make:middleware CustomAuthenticate

Edit the generated file at app/Http/Middleware/CustomAuthenticate.php:

<?php

namespace App\Http\Middleware;

use Illuminate\Auth\Middleware\Authenticate as Middleware;

class CustomAuthenticate extends Middleware
{
    protected function redirectTo($request)
    {
        if (! $request->expectsJson()) {
            return route('login');
        }
    }
}

This custom middleware overrides the default redirect behavior to redirect unauthenticated users to the login route.

Step 2 – Register the Middleware

Open app/Http/Kernel.php and update the $routeMiddleware array:

protected $routeMiddleware = [
    'custom.auth' => \App\Http\Middleware\CustomAuthenticate::class,
    // ... other middleware
];

Step 3 – Define the Login Route and Controller

In routes/web.php, Define your login route:

use App\Http\Controllers\AuthController;

Route::get('/login', [AuthController::class, 'showLoginForm'])->name('login');

Create AuthController If it doesn't exist:

php artisan make:controller AuthController

Then in app/Http/Controllers/AuthController.php:

<?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class AuthController extends Controller
{
    public function showLoginForm()
    {
        return view('auth.login');
    }
}

Create a Blade view at resources/views/auth/login.blade.php With your custom login form HTML.

Step 4 – Protect Routes with Custom Middleware

Group your protected routes using the custom.auth middleware in routes/web.php:

Route::middleware(['custom.auth'])->group(function () {
    // Protected routes
    Route::get('/dashboard', function () {
        return view('dashboard');
    });
});

Step 5 – Test the Setup

Visit a protected route (like /dashboard) while logged out.
You should be redirected to /login.
After login, you should return to the originally requested page.

Souy Soeng