MySQL with Laravel

Last reviewed Jun 1, 2026 Content v20260601

Track mode

sql_sandbox

Means

SQL sandbox

Reading

~1 min

Level

intermediate

This lesson

This lesson teaches MySQL with Laravel: the SQL patterns, schema habits, and query reasoning you need before advancing in MySQL.

PDO charset and strict SQL mode must match production MySQL or migrations fail at deploy.

You will apply MySQL with Laravel in contexts like: WordPress, Laravel, and shared hosting—MySQL is the default database behind millions of PHP deployments.

Copy MySQL SQL into the mysql client, local MySQL/MariaDB, or DB Fiddle (MySQL dialect)—use DESCRIBE and EXPLAIN where lessons show them. The in-browser lab ships later; mysql client is the practice path now.

Toward the end—consolidate before MariaDB notes, interview prep, and production checklist.

Laravel migrations, Eloquent, and config/database.php target MySQL by default in many tutorials—align charset and strict mode with production.

.env database

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_DATABASE=practice
DB_USERNAME=app_rw
DB_PASSWORD=secret

Migration example

Schema::create('orders', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->foreignId('customer_id')->constrained();
    $table->decimal('total', 12, 2);
    $table->timestamps();
});

Practice: Review in local or staging only.

N+1 queries

Use with() eager loading—EXPLAIN SQL Eloquent generates in debugbar/telescope.

Important interview questions and answers

Q: strict mode in Laravel?
A: Often enabled in config—matches ONLY_FULL_GROUP_BY in MySQL 8.
Q: Migration vs raw SQL?
A: Migrations version schema in git—preferred for teams.

Self-check

How Laravel declare foreign key?
What is N+1?

Pitfall: SQLite dev + MySQL-only JSON functions break at deploy.

Interview prep

Eloquent N+1?: Missing eager load causes query per row.
Migrations?: Versioned schema in PHP code.

Discussion

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Starter discussion topics

Eager load?
SQLite dev risk?

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