Master Laravel Database Migrations: Step-by-Step Guide

Laravel's database migrations define a unified interface for creating and maintaining database schemas, independent of the underlying DB engine.

Migration files are PHP scripts stored in database/migrations and are executed via Artisan commands from the project root.

1. Configure the database

Set connection details in .env (overriding config/database.php ) such as DB_HOST, DB_DATABASE, DB_USERNAME, and DB_PASSWORD.

2. Create a migration file

Run php artisan make:migration create_tableName_table . The file is named with a UTC timestamp prefix, e.g., 2023_10_12_000000_create_users_table.php , and contains up() and down() methods.

3. Design the migration

Use the Schema builder inside up() to define tables, columns, indexes, etc. Example:

<code>public function up()
{
    Schema::create('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
        $table->bigIncrements('id');
        $table->string('account', 32)->unique();
        $table->string('name', 32);
        $table->string('password', 60);
        $table->rememberToken();
        $table->unsignedInteger('created_at');
        $table->tinyInteger('state')->unsigned()->default(1);
    });
}

public function down()
{
    Schema::dropIfExists('users');
}
</code>

The example image illustrates the generated migration file.

4. Run the migration

Execute php artisan migrate to create the tables, or php artisan migrate:rollback to revert them.

By repeating these steps you can manage complex schemas, version‑control multiple tables across several migration files.