Migrations and Factories
Keep schema changes safe, testable, and reversible.
Commands
php artisan make:model Post -mfc
# Run/rollback
php artisan migrate
php artisan migrate:rollback --step=1
# Fresh DB (dangerous; dev only)
php artisan migrate:fresh --seed
Rules
- Pair each new model with a migration and a factory
- If a migration was merged to
main, never edit it—add a new one - On feature branches, you may amend migrations created on that branch (if not merged)
- Seed realistic but minimal datasets in seeder classes; keep huge datasets external
Factories
- Prefer state modifiers (e.g.,
->state([...])) over boolean flags - Use relationships (e.g.,
belongsTo) in factories to build realistic graphs - Keep factories fast; move expensive setup to seeds where possible
Testing
- Use factories in tests; avoid manual inserts
- For integration tests touching DB, use transactions or
RefreshDatabase