Laravel: Get Address From Latitude/longitude With Geocoder

Reverse geocoding is the process of converting geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude) into a human-readable address (street, city, postal code, country). This is useful in ride-hailing apps, delivery tracking, GPS logging, and real estate platforms. In this tutorial, we’ll integrate GeocoderLaravel with the Google Maps API to perform reverse geocoding in Laravel.

What You’ll Need

• Laravel project (v8+ recommended)
• toin0u/geocoder-laravel package installed
• Google Maps Geocoding API Key

Step 1: Install GeocoderLaravel

composer require toin0u/geocoder-laravel
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Geocoder\\Laravel\\Providers\\GeocoderService"

This will publish the configuration file config/geocoder.php where you can manage providers.

Step 2: Configure Google Maps API Key

Inside your .env, add your Google Maps Geocoding API key:

GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY=YOUR_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY_HERE

Then, ensure config/geocoder.php uses Google Maps:

return [
    'providers' => [
        Chain::class => [
            GoogleMaps::class => [
                env('GOOGLE_MAPS_LOCALE', 'us'),
                env('GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY'),
            ],
            GeoPlugin::class  => [],
        ],
    ],
];

⚠️ Security Tip: Restrict your API key to specific domains or IPs inside the Google Cloud Console. This prevents abuse if your key leaks.

Step 3: Write Reverse Geocoding Logic

The following snippet takes latitude and longitude and returns the formatted address:

<?php

$latitude = 51.5291450;
$longitude = -0.1239401;

try {
    $results = app('geocoder')->reverse($latitude, $longitude)->get();

    if ($results->count() > 0) {
        $address = $results[0]->getFormattedAddress();
        echo "Address: " . $address;
    } else {
        echo "No address found for these coordinates.";
    }
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "Error: " . $e->getMessage();
}

Sample Output

16-18 Argyle Street, Camden, London WC1H 8EG, United Kingdom

You can call this method in a Controller, Job, or Service Class. For heavy usage (e.g., batch reverse geocoding), consider using queued jobs to avoid API delays blocking user requests.

Common Use Cases

• Convert GPS coordinates into user-friendly addresses in mobile apps.
• Show the nearest street or city when tracking delivery drivers.
• Store location history for auditing in HR or security management systems.
• Tag uploaded photos or assets with real-world addresses.

Conclusion

Reverse geocoding in Laravel becomes seamless with GeocoderLaravel + Google Maps API. With just a few lines of code, you can translate latitude and longitude into full addresses, improving user experience in location-based apps. Always monitor your API usage to control costs.