I had laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair a few years ago. Two small incisions and one slightly larger. Mesh was installed (hernioplasty); since he was already going to be in there, we decided to put mesh in both sides to essentially eliminate any possibility of recurrence or development on the other side. Recovery was uneventful and fairly rapid. No problems since.
I don't remember specifically but it is generally considered that one can return to work after 1-2 weeks if no heavy lifting is involved or 4-6 weeks if lifting is needed. They usually tell you to lift no more than 10 pounds in the first couple of weeks and to gradually increase the limit after that. You can drive 48 hours after anesthesia. All that goes out the window if there is continuing pain but that is apparently very rare. Generally, just go by how you feel.