Migrations

Migrations version database schema changes.

What it is

Migrations version database schema changes.

When to use it

Define constraints alongside application validation.

Syntax

Schema::create("orders", function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->foreignId("user_id")->constrained()->restrictOnDelete();
    $table->string("reference")->unique();
    $table->bigInteger("total_cents");
    $table->timestamps();
});

Example

use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
return new class extends Migration {
    public function up(): void {
        Schema::create("orders", function (Blueprint $table) {
            $table->id();
            $table->foreignId("user_id")->constrained()->restrictOnDelete();
            $table->string("reference")->unique();
            $table->bigInteger("total_cents");
            $table->string("status")->default("pending");
            $table->timestamps();
            $table->index(["user_id", "status"]);
        });
    }
    public function down(): void { Schema::dropIfExists("orders"); }
};

Common mistakes

Check engine-specific CHECK and ALTER support; financial records rarely warrant cascading deletion.