Laravel Migrations

Laravel 11 Migrations: A Comprehensive Guide

What are Migrations?

Laravel migrations are a version control system for your database. They allow you to define your database schema (tables, columns, indexes, etc.) in PHP code, providing a structured and repeatable way to manage schema changes.

Why are Migrations Important?

• Version Control: Track database schema changes over time. Each change is recorded, allowing you to revert to previous versions.
• Reproducibility: Recreate the database consistently across different environments (development, testing, production). This eliminates discrepancies and ensures consistency.
• Reversibility: Roll back to previous database versions if necessary. This is essential for correcting errors or reverting to a previous state.
• Collaboration: Facilitate teamwork by codifying database changes. All team members can use the same migrations.

How Migrations Work in Laravel 11

1. Create Migrations: Use php artisan make:migration migration_name to generate migration files. These files contain the up() and down() methods.
2. Define Schema: Use the Schema class within the up() method to define table structure. You can specify columns, data types, indexes, and constraints.
3. Run Migrations: Execute php artisan migrate to apply migrations. Laravel will execute the up() method of each migration in order.
4. Rollback Migrations: Use php artisan migrate:rollback to revert the last migration or php artisan migrate:reset to revert all migrations.
5. Modify Tables: Use Schema::table() to alter existing tables. You can add, modify, or delete columns.

Practical Examples

Creating a "users" Table

    php artisan make:migration create_users_table --create=users
    

    use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
    use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
    use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;

    class CreateUsersTable extends Migration
    {
        public function up(): void
        {
            Schema::create('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
                $table->id();
                $table->string('name');
                $table->string('email')->unique();
                $table->timestamp('email_verified_at')->nullable();
                $table->string('password');
                $table->rememberToken();
                $table->timestamps();
            });
        }

        public function down(): void
        {
            Schema::dropIfExists('users');
        }
    }
    

Adding a "city" Column to the "users" Table

    php artisan make:migration add_city_to_users_table --table=users
    

    use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
    use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
    use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;

    class AddCityToUsersTable extends Migration
    {
        public function up(): void
        {
            Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
                $table->string('city')->nullable();
            });
        }

        public function down(): void
        {
            Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
                $table->dropColumn('city');
            });
        }
    }
    

Using make:model -m

The php artisan make:model ModelName -m command creates both an Eloquent model and its associated migration, saving time and ensuring consistency. This is a very useful command for quickly creating models and their corresponding tables.

    php artisan make:model Product -m
    

Laravel 11 Specifics

• Simplified Application Structure: Laravel 11 comes with a cleaner structure, making projects easier to manage.
• Improved Test Performance with SQLite :memory:: Tests using SQLite are now faster, thanks to optimizations in Laravel 11.
• Dedicated MariaDB Driver: Laravel 11 includes a dedicated driver for MariaDB, providing better integration and performance.
• Per-Second Rate Limiting: Laravel 11 introduces the ability to limit resource access rates per second, providing finer control.

Additional Tips

• Use descriptive migration names.
• Test migrations in your development environment before applying them to production.
• Combine migrations with seeders to populate tables with initial data.
• Consult the official Laravel documentation for detailed information.

For more details, consult the official Laravel 11 documentation.