Laravel Migration: Fresh vs Refresh

artisan migrate:fresh

php artisan migrate:fresh

This command:

1. Drops all tables in the database
2. Runs all migrations from scratch

Key points:

• Completely wipes out the database
• Faster than refresh for large numbers of migrations
• Ideal for development/testing environments
• Caution: All data will be lost

artisan migrate:refresh

php artisan migrate:refresh

This command:

1. Rolls back all migrations
2. Then runs all migrations again

Key points:

• Preserves the database structure
• Slower than fresh for many migrations
• Useful when you want to keep some data integrity
• Can be combined with --seed to repopulate data

When to use which?

• Use fresh when:

  • You want a clean slate
  • You're in early development stages
  • You're setting up a new environment

• Use refresh when:

  • You want to test incremental changes
  • You're working with a more stable database schema
  • You need to preserve some data relationships

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