Laravel Archivable Laravel Package

Getting Started

Install the package via Composer and immediately start archiving models with minimal setup.

composer require joelbutcher/laravel-archivable

Then in your migration, use the provided archivedAt() macro to add an archived_at column—identical to SoftDeletes but semantically clearer for archival workflows.

Schema::create('orders', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->unsignedBigInteger('user_id');
    $table->string('status');
    $table->timestamps();
    $table->archivedAt(); // Adds `archived_at` timestamp column
});

Next, attach the Archivable trait to your Eloquent model and begin using intuitive methods like archive(), unArchive(), and isArchived().

use LaravelArchivable\Archivable;

class Order extends Model
{
    use Archivable;

    // ...
}

First use case: accidentally deleted user account recovery — an admin can archive (not delete) a user record, preserve all related data, and easily restore it later via unArchive().

Implementation Patterns

• Default behavior
  Archivable models are excluded by default in queries (withoutArchived scope is applied), mirroring SoftDeletes but with explicit archiving semantics.

• Explicit query control
  Use chainable scopes for precise control:

  // Include archived items (e.g., admin dashboard)
  $orders = Order::withArchived()->get();
  
  // Show only archived items (e.g., "Archive" tab)
  $archivedOrders = Order::onlyArchived()->get();
  
  // Explicitly exclude archived (redundant but readable)
  $activeOrders = Order::withoutArchived()->get();
  

• Bulk operations
  Archive or restore at scale:

  Order::where('status', 'cancelled')->archive();
  Order::onlyArchived()->unArchive();
  

• Route model binding integration
  Override implicit binding to restore archived resources on demand:

  Route::get('/orders/{order}', function (Order $order) {
      return $order->status;
  })->withArchived(); // Allows fetching archived orders via route binding
  

• Event-driven workflows
  Hook into Archived, UnArchived events (added in v1.3.1):

  Order::saved(fn ($order) => $order->wasArchived() && ! $order->isArchived()
      ? event(new OrderRestored($order))
      : null);
  

• Audit & reporting
  Create reports spanning archived & active data:

  $totalRevenue = Order::withArchived()
      ->sum('total');
  

Gotchas and Tips

• Migration rollback safety
  Use dropArchivedAt() in down migrations—not dropColumn('archived_at')—to prevent accidental table drops (fixed in v1.11.0).

• Global scope override
  Avoid calling withoutArchived() manually—it’s applied automatically. Calling it explicitly results in redundant/no-op scopes.

• Soft Deletes conflict
  Do not use both SoftDeletes and Archivable traits on the same model—they conflict on deleted_at/archived_at columns and scopes.

• CLI migrations & seeders
  Archive-seeded test data for realistic local environments:

  $order = Order::factory()->create();
  $order->archive(); // Simulate archived historical orders
  

• API response consideration
  Don’t expose archived_at in public responses unless intentional—exclude it via $hidden or resource transformations if sensitive.

• Database index optimization
  Add an index for performance on archive-heavy queries:

  $table->index('archived_at');
  

• Custom archiving logic
  Override trait methods in your model for domain-specific behavior (e.g., cascading archive of related models):

  public function archive(): bool
  {
      $this->comments()->each->archive();
      return parent::archive();
  }