generate migrations from an existing database in Laravel
To create a Laravel migration file from an existing MySQL database, follow these steps:
1. Install laravel-migrations-generator package
Since Laravel does not generate migrations from an existing database by default, use a third-party package:
composer require --dev kitloong/laravel-migrations-generator
2. Generate Migrations
Run the following command to generate migration files from your MySQL database:
php artisan migrate:generate
This will create migration files for all tables in the database/migrations directory.
3. Generate Migrations for a Specific Table
If you only want to generate migrations for a specific table, use:
php artisan migrate:generate --tables=your_table_name
For multiple tables:
php artisan migrate:generate --tables=table1,table2,table3
4. Handle Foreign Keys
If your database has foreign keys, ensure they are properly referenced in the migration files.
To include foreign keys in the migration generation, use:
php artisan migrate:generate --fk
5. Verify & Modify the Generated Migrations
- Open the migration files in
database/migrations/ - Ensure all table structures and constraints are correctly defined
- Adjust column types or add missing constraints if needed
6. Run Migrations in a New Database
Once migrations are generated, you can use them to set up a new database:
php artisan migrate
Alternative Method Using laravel-schema-spy
If you prefer another tool, you can also use laravel-schema-spy:
composer require --dev beyondcode/laravel-er-diagram-generator
php artisan generate:erd
Would you like help with generating seeders or factory files as well? 🚀
