Laravel 12 with Spatie Laravel-Backup: A Complete Guide

In this blog post, we'll explore how to use the Spatie Laravel-Backup package in Laravel 12 to automate database and file backups, store them securely, and restore them when needed.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Spatie Laravel-Backup
2. Installation & Setup
3. Configuring Backup Options
4. Running Backups Manually
5. Scheduling Automatic Backups
6. Storing Backups on Cloud (S3, Dropbox)
7. Restoring Backups
8. Monitoring & Notifications
9. Advanced Features & Tips
10. Conclusion

1. Introduction to Spatie Laravel-Backup

The Spatie Laravel-Backup package allows you to:

• Backup databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MongoDB).
• Backup files (entire storage directory or selected folders).
• Store backups locally or on cloud (S3, Dropbox, FTP).
• Schedule automatic backups.
• Restore backups easily.
• Get notifications (Email, Slack, Discord) on backup success/failure.

2. Installation & Setup

Step 1: Install Laravel 12

If you don’t have Laravel 12 installed:

composer create-project laravel/laravel backup-demo
cd backup-demo

Step 2: Install Spatie Laravel-Backup

Install the package via Composer:

composer require spatie/laravel-backup

Step 3: Publish Config File

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Spatie\Backup\BackupServiceProvider"

This creates config/backup.php.

3. Configuring Backup Options

Edit config/backup.php to customize:

Select Databases to Backup

'backup' => [
    'databases' => [
        'mysql',
        'pgsql',
    ],
],

Include/Exclude Files

'backup' => [
    'source' => [
        'files' => [
            'include' => [base_path('storage')],
            'exclude' => [base_path('storage/debugbar')],
        ],
    ],
],

Set Backup Retention Period

'cleanup' => [
    'default_strategy' => [
        'keep_all_backups_for_days' => 7,
        'keep_daily_backups_for_days' => 16,
    ],
],

This keeps:

• All backups for 7 days.
• Daily backups for 16 days.

4. Running Backups Manually

Run a full backup (database + files):

php artisan backup:run

Output:

Backup completed!

Backup Only Database

php artisan backup:run --only-db

Backup Only Files

php artisan backup:run --only-files

List All Backups

php artisan backup:list

5. Scheduling Automatic Backups

Add to app/Console/Kernel.php:

protected function schedule(Schedule $schedule)
{
    $schedule->command('backup:run')->daily()->at('02:00');
}

This runs backups daily at 2 AM.

Run Cleanup

To delete old backups automatically:

$schedule->command('backup:clean')->daily();

6. Storing Backups on Cloud (S3, Dropbox)

Using Amazon S3

1. Install the AWS SDK:

   composer require league/flysystem-aws-s3-v3
   

2. Update .env:

   AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your-key
   AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your-secret
   AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1
   AWS_BUCKET=your-bucket
   

3. Configure config/backup.php:

   'destination' => [
       'disks' => ['s3'],
   ],
   

Using Dropbox

1. Install Dropbox adapter:

   composer require spatie/flysystem-dropbox
   

2. Configure in config/filesystems.php:

   'dropbox' => [
       'driver' => 'dropbox',
       'authorization_token' => env('DROPBOX_TOKEN'),
   ],
   

3. Update config/backup.php:

   'disks' => ['dropbox'],
   

7. Restoring Backups

The package doesn’t include a built-in restore command, but you can manually:

1. Download the backup (storage/app/backups or cloud).
2. Extract files (if needed).
3. Restore the database:

   mysql -u user -p database_name < backup.sql
   

4. Restore files (copy to storage).

8. Monitoring & Notifications

Get alerts when backups fail.

Email Notifications

Update config/backup.php:

'notifications' => [
    'mail' => [
        'to' => 'admin@example.com',
    ],
],

Slack/Discord Notifications

1. Install Slack/Discord adapter:

   composer require laravel/slack-notification-channel
   

2. Configure in config/backup.php:

   'notifications' => [
       'slack' => [
           'webhook_url' => env('SLACK_WEBHOOK'),
       ],
   ],
   

9. Advanced Features & Tips

• Encrypt Backups (Use spatie/laravel-db-snapshots for encrypted DB dumps).
• Exclude Tables:

  'exclude_tables' => ['sessions', 'cache'],
  

• Backup to Multiple Disks:

  'disks' => ['local', 's3'],
  

10. Conclusion

The Spatie Laravel-Backup package is essential for:
✅ Automating database & file backups.
✅ Storing securely on cloud (S3, Dropbox).
✅ Scheduling & cleaning up old backups.
✅ Getting failure alerts.

Start using it today to secure your Laravel 12 app!

Happy backing up! 🚀