Laravel Db Snapshots Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Install the package:

   composer require spatie/laravel-db-snapshots
   

2. Configure storage disk: Add a snapshots disk in config/filesystems.php:

   'snapshots' => [
       'driver' => 'local',
       'root' => database_path('snapshots'),
   ],
   

3. Publish config (optional):

   php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Spatie\DbSnapshots\DbSnapshotsServiceProvider"
   

First Use Case

Create your first snapshot:

php artisan snapshot:create "initial-state"

Verify it exists:

php artisan snapshot:list

Implementation Patterns

Daily Workflow

1. Pre-feature snapshot:

   php artisan snapshot:create "before-feature-x"
   

2. Post-feature snapshot:

   php artisan snapshot:create "after-feature-x"
   

3. Rollback testing:

   php artisan snapshot:load "before-feature-x"
   

Integration with CI/CD

• Pre-test snapshot:

  php artisan snapshot:create "ci-test-state-$(date +%s)"
  

• Post-test cleanup:

  php artisan snapshot:cleanup --keep=1
  

Selective Snapshots

• Include only specific tables:

  php artisan snapshot:create "users-only" --table=users,roles
  

• Exclude tables:

  php artisan snapshot:create "exclude-temp" --exclude=temp_data
  

Database-Specific Config

Configure database.php for custom dump options (e.g., PostgreSQL):

'pgsql' => [
    'driver' => 'pgsql',
    'dump' => [
        'addExtraOption' => '--no-owner',
    ],
],

Event-Driven Extensions

Listen to snapshot events in EventServiceProvider:

protected $listen = [
    \Spatie\DbSnapshots\Events\CreatingSnapshot::class => [
        \App\Listeners\LogSnapshotCreation::class,
    ],
];

Gotchas and Tips

Common Pitfalls

1. Large snapshots:

   • Use --stream for loading large files:

     php artisan snapshot:load "big-snapshot" --stream
     

   • Avoid memory issues with --drop-tables=0 for incremental loads.

2. Connection mismatches:

   • Explicitly specify --connection when loading:

     php artisan snapshot:load "snapshot-name" --connection=staging
     

3. Compression quirks:

   • Ensure .gz files are handled correctly in CI (e.g., GitHub Actions):

     php artisan snapshot:load "compressed-snapshot" --stream
     

Debugging Tips

• Verify disk permissions:

  chmod -R 775 database_path('snapshots')
  

• Check dump contents:

  php artisan snapshot:load "debug-snapshot" --stream --verbose
  

Extension Points

1. Custom snapshot logic: Extend Spatie\DbSnapshots\Commands\CreateSnapshotCommand for pre/post hooks.

2. Custom storage: Implement Spatie\DbSnapshots\Contracts\SnapshotRepository for S3/remote storage.

3. Database-specific tweaks: Override Spatie\DbSnapshots\Dumpers\MysqlDumper for custom SQL generation.

Configuration Quirks

• Default connection: Set default_connection in config/db-snapshots.php to avoid ambiguity.
• Table filtering: --table overrides --exclude; use --exclude only when no --table is specified.

Performance Considerations

• Compression tradeoff: Enable compress: true in config for storage savings, but benchmark load times.
• Selective snapshots: Use --table to reduce snapshot size for CI environments.

Security Note

• Snapshot cleanup: Automate cleanup in CI to prevent storage bloat:

  php artisan snapshot:cleanup --keep=5