Laravel 12 continues to provide an expressive, fluent API for defining database tables and columns via migrations. Whether you're building a small project or a complex system, understanding the available migration types is crucial for designing clean and efficient databases.
In this article, we’ll cover all column types in Laravel 12 migrations, categorized for easier navigation, with syntax and practical examples.
Primary Key Columns :
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| id() | Auto-incrementing UNSIGNED BIGINT (Primary Key) |
| bigIncrements() | Alias for id() (older style) |
| increments() | Auto-incrementing UNSIGNED INT (deprecated in favor of id()) |
| uuid() | UUID column (useful for public identifiers) |
<?php
$table->id();
$table->uuid('uuid')->primary();
?>Numeric Columns :
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| integer('column') | INT |
| tinyInteger('column') | TINYINT |
| smallInteger('column') | SMALLINT |
| mediumInteger('column') | MEDIUMINT |
| bigInteger('column') | BIGINT |
| unsignedInteger() | Unsigned INT |
| decimal('column', precision, scale) | Fixed-point number |
| float('column', total, places) | FLOAT |
| double() | DOUBLE |
| boolean() | BOOLEAN / TINYINT(1) |
| enum('column', ['x', 'y']) | ENUM |
| json() | JSON data |
| jsonb() | JSONB (for PostgreSQL) |
<?php
$table->integer('views')->unsigned();
$table->decimal('price', 8, 2);
$table->boolean('is_active')->default(true);
?>
String & Text Columns :
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| string('column', length) | VARCHAR (default 255) |
| char('column', length) | CHAR |
| text('column') | TEXT |
| mediumText() | MEDIUMTEXT |
| longText() | LONGTEXT |
<?php
$table->string('name');
$table->text('description');
?>Date & Time Columns :
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| date('column') | DATE |
| dateTime('column') | DATETIME |
| dateTimeTz() | DATETIME with timezone |
| time('column') | TIME |
| timestamp('column') | TIMESTAMP |
| timestampTz() | TIMESTAMP with timezone |
| year('column') | YEAR |
| timestamps() | Adds created_at and updated_at |
| nullableTimestamps() | Same as above but nullable |
| softDeletes() | Adds deleted_at for soft deletes |
| softDeletesTz() | Adds deleted_at with timezone |
<?php
$table->timestamps();
$table->softDeletes();
?>Foreign Keys & Relationships :
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| foreignId('user_id') | Unsigned BIGINT with optional FK |
| constrained() | Auto-detect table and column for FK |
| references()->on() | Explicit foreign key definition |
| onDelete('cascade') | FK delete behavior |
<?php
$table->foreignId('user_id')->constrained()->onDelete('cascade');
?>Miscellaneous Columns :
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| binary('column') | BLOB |
| ipAddress('column') | Stores IPv4 or IPv6 |
| macAddress('column') | Stores MAC address |
| uuid('column') | UUID string |
| rememberToken() | Adds 100-char nullable remember_token |
| morphs() | Adds *_id and *_type for polymorphic relations |
| nullableMorphs() | Nullable morphs |
| ulid() | ULID-based primary keys |
| timestampsTz() | created_at and updated_at with timezone |
<?php
$table->ipAddress('visitor_ip');
$table->morphs('commentable');
?>
Column Modifiers :
You can chain these with any column:
| Modifier | Description |
|---|---|
| ->nullable() | Allows NULL values |
| ->default($value) | Sets a default |
| ->unique() | Unique index |
| ->index() | Adds index |
| ->comment('...') | Adds comment |
| ->after('column') | Adds after another column (MySQL only) |
| ->change('column') | Modify existing column |
<?php
$table->string('slug')->unique()->nullable();
?>Example Migration :
<?php
public function up(): void
{
Schema::create('products', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->id();
$table->string('name');
$table->text('description')->nullable();
$table->decimal('price', 8, 2);
$table->boolean('is_available')->default(true);
$table->timestamps();
});
}
?>
Laravel 12 offers a wide range of migration column types and modifiers that allow you to build precise, scalable, and clean database schemas. Keep your migrations version-controlled, lean, and well-commented for long-term maintainability.
