Laravel Media Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Install the package:

   composer require elegantly/laravel-media
   

2. Publish configuration and migrations, then migrate:

   php artisan vendor:publish --tag="laravel-media-config"
   php artisan vendor:publish --tag="laravel-media-migrations"
   php artisan migrate
   

   If the tags differ, run php artisan vendor:publish and select the Elegantly\Media provider.

3. Configure the default disk and storage paths in config/media.php. For local public files:

   php artisan storage:link
   

4. Add the package trait to the model that owns media:

   use Elegantly\Media\Concerns\HasMedia; // verify namespace in the README
   
   class Post extends Model
   {
       use HasMedia;
   }
   

5. First use case — attach an uploaded cover image and render it:

   $post->addMediaFromRequest('cover')
       ->toMediaCollection('cover');
   
   $url = $post->getFirstMediaUrl('cover');
   

   Verify exact method names against the package README; the trait exposes a media relationship and collection helpers.

Where to look first:

• README.md quickstart and API examples.
• config/media.php for disk, path, conversions, queue settings, and model bindings.
• The published migration to understand the media table schema and polymorphic columns.
• The package service provider for bindings, commands, and extension points.

Implementation Patterns

Model-centric collections. Attach media directly to Eloquent models and use named collections for different roles:

$post->addMediaFromRequest('hero')->toMediaCollection('hero');
$post->addMedia($request->file('gallery'))->toMediaCollection('gallery');

Request and disk sources. Handle form uploads, existing files, and external sources through the same media pipeline:

$post->addMediaFromRequest('document')->toMediaCollection('documents');
$post->addMediaFromDisk('imports/catalog.pdf', 'local')->toMediaCollection('documents');

Conversions and responsive images. Define thumbnails or derivative sizes in one place, generate them on upload, and render URLs/srcsets in Blade. Use queued conversions in production and synchronous generation only in tests or local development.

Per-collection storage rules. Keep public images on a public disk and private documents on a private disk. If the package supports per-collection disk/path configuration, prefer that over global config changes.

Blade and API output. Centralize URL rendering through package helpers or a small presenter so templates do not depend on storage internals:

<img src="{{ $post->getFirstMediaUrl('hero') }}" alt="">

Livewire/Filament/Inertia integration. Treat media uploads as a two-step workflow: upload the file, then attach it to the model after validation. On edit screens, expose existing media and support explicit removal so replaced files are deleted rather than orphaned.

Testing. Use Storage::fake() and RefreshDatabase, then assert both database records and stored files:

Storage::fake('public');

$post->addMediaFromRequest('cover')->toMediaCollection('cover');

$this->assertDatabaseHas('media', ['model_id' => $post->id]);
Storage::disk('public')->assertExists(/* path from media record */);

Cleanup and lifecycle. Add model observers or scheduled jobs to remove files when models or media records are deleted. This is especially important for user-generated content and multi-tenant apps.

Gotchas and Tips

• Low adoption surface area. With few stars and no dependents, audit the source before relying on it in production. Pin the version and check Laravel/PHP constraints in composer.json.
• Do not assume Spatie compatibility. The API may look similar to spatie/laravel-medialibrary, but method names, traits, and conversion behavior can differ. Read the README and service provider first.
• Config cache. After editing config/media.php, run php artisan config:clear. In production, redeploy with php artisan config:cache.
• Queue workers are required for conversions. If conversions are queued, failed workers leave media records without derivatives. Monitor failed jobs and add retries or alerting.
• Storage visibility and URLs. A file can exist on disk but still return a broken URL if the disk visibility, APP_URL, or storage:link is wrong. Check the generated path against storage/app/public.
• Orphaned files. Database cascades do not delete files from disk. Deleting a model or media record may leave the underlying file behind unless the package or your code handles it.
• Filename collisions and paths. Confirm whether filenames are randomized. If not, customize the path generator or add uniqueness to avoid overwrites.
• Upload limits. Large media can fail before Laravel validation due to PHP upload_max_filesize and post_max_size. For large assets, consider direct-to-S3 uploads.
• Debugging checklist. Inspect the media table, the configured disk path, storage/logs/laravel.log, and failed jobs. Confirm the collection name passed to the trait exactly matches the name used when retrieving media.
• Extension points. Look for custom path generators, conversion classes, disk resolvers, and a replaceable media model. Publishing config is usually the cleanest way to override defaults without forking.
• Upgrade caution. Because the package is small and recently released, review changelogs and run the full test suite after upgrades, especially around migrations and conversion generation.