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5. Laravel Enums as First-Class Domain Citizens: Typed Casts, Backed Values, and Behaviour

 Laravel Enums as First-Class Domain Citizens: Typed Casts, Backed Values, and Behaviour
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 PHP 8.1 backed enums are more than constants. Learn how to attach behaviour, use them as Eloquent casts, embed them in value objects, and write expressive domain logic without a single string literal.

 ![](https://cdn.msaied.com/01M22N44A70A5MC2S599JP0MPH.webp) [Mohamed Said](https://www.msaied.com/public#person) Published 22 Jun 2026 · Updated 22 Jun 2026 · 1 min read

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 ![Laravel Enums as First-Class Domain Citizens: Typed Casts, Backed Values, and Behaviour](https://cdn.msaied.com/266/81a05f630d54004d2a6689a02d6f0579.png) 

  On this page +1. [Stop Treating Enums as Fancy Constants](#stop-treating-enums-as-fancy-constants)
2. [Defining a Behaviour-Rich Backed Enum](#defining-a-behaviour-rich-backed-enum)
3. [Eloquent Cast — Zero Boilerplate](#eloquent-cast-zero-boilerplate)
4. [Enum-Aware Query Scopes](#enum-aware-query-scopes)
5. [Validation Rule from Enum Cases](#validation-rule-from-enum-cases)
6. [Embedding Enums in Value Objects](#embedding-enums-in-value-objects)
7. [Pest Snapshot: Testing Enum Behaviour](#pest-snapshot-testing-enum-behaviour)
8. [Key Takeaways](#key-takeaways)

 Stop Treating Enums as Fancy Constants
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Most Laravel codebases adopt backed enums, swap `string` constants for them, and call it done. That leaves the best part on the table: enums are first-class objects that can carry methods, implement interfaces, and integrate directly with Eloquent, validation, and your domain layer.

This article walks through a concrete `OrderStatus` domain, showing how to push logic into the enum itself rather than scattering it across services and controllers.

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Defining a Behaviour-Rich Backed Enum
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```php