Database Snapshots

Database snapshots allow you to save the current state of your database and quickly restore it later. This is invaluable during development when you need to:

Test data modifications and quickly reset to a known state
Quickly switch between different test scenarios
Preserve data before making potentially destructive changes

:::note[Development Only] Database snapshots are intended for development and testing environments only. For production backups, use proper database backup solutions. :::

Creating Snapshots

Basic Snapshot Creation

Create a snapshot with a descriptive name:

php artisan db:snapshot:create my-snapshot-name

The snapshot will be saved to the database/snapshots/ directory.

Example Workflow

# Rebuild database with fresh data
php artisan db:rebuild

# Create some test data through the UI

# Save this state
php artisan db:snapshot:create clean-test-data

# Now you can make changes, and restore whenever needed
php artisan db:snapshot:restore clean-test-data

Listing Snapshots

View all available snapshots:

php artisan db:snapshot:list

Restoring Snapshots

Restore a snapshot by name:

php artisan db:snapshot:restore my-snapshot-name

Create an automatic backup before restoring:

php artisan db:snapshot:restore my-snapshot-name --backup

:::caution[Destructive Operation] Restoring a snapshot will completely replace your current database with the snapshot data. All current data will be lost. :::

Viewing Snapshot Details

Get detailed information about a specific snapshot:

php artisan db:snapshot:info my-snapshot-name

This displays:

File path and size
Creation timestamp
Schema checksum and migration/seeder counts
Comparison with current codebase schema

Deleting Snapshots

Delete a single snapshot:

php artisan db:snapshot:delete my-snapshot-name

Delete all snapshots:

php artisan db:snapshot:delete --all

Both the SQL file and any associated metadata will be removed.