# 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

> **Development Only**
>
> Database snapshots are intended for development and testing environments only. For production backups, use proper database backup solutions.

## Requirements

The commands shell out to PostgreSQL’s `pg_dump` and `psql`. With Laravel Herd on macOS or Windows, they find Herd’s PostgreSQL on their own. Otherwise put them on your `PATH`, or set `PG_BIN_DIRECTORY` to the directory that contains them. `db:snapshot:create`, `db:snapshot:restore` and `db:snapshot:delete` refuse to run in production.

## Creating Snapshots

### Basic Snapshot Creation

Create a snapshot with a descriptive name:

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

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

### Example Workflow

```bash
# 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:

```bash
php artisan db:snapshot:list
```

After the table, it asks whether to restore one of the listed snapshots. A restore started from this prompt skips schema validation.

## Restoring Snapshots

Restore a snapshot by name:

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

Create an automatic backup before restoring:

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

> **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:

```bash
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:

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

Delete all snapshots:

```bash
php artisan db:snapshot:delete --all
```

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