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 Geocoder Laravel 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

See Also:

Step 1: Install Geocoder Laravel

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

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

This will install Geocoder Laravel and 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

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  => [],
        ],
    ],
];

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();
}

<?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

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.