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Laravel 11 Import Large CSV File into Database Example
Laravel 11 Import Large CSV File into Database Example

Laravel 11: Import Large CSV File into Database Example

Importing large CSV files into a database can be a common requirement in many applications. With Laravel 11, this process can be made efficient and straightforward. This guide will walk you through the steps needed to import a large CSV file into a database using Laravel 11. We will use Laravel’s Eloquent ORM and some additional packages to streamline the process.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following installed:

  1. PHP 8.1 or higher
  2. Composer
  3. Laravel 11
  4. MySQL or any other database supported by Laravel

Step 1: Setting Up a New Laravel Project

First, create a new Laravel project. Open your terminal and run:

composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel csv-import-example

Navigate to the project directory:

cd csv-import-example

Step 2: Install Required Packages

For handling large CSV files efficiently, we will use the maatwebsite/excel package. Install it using Composer:

composer require maatwebsite/excel

After installing, add the service provider and aliases to the config/app.php file:

'providers' => [
    ...
    Maatwebsite\Excel\ExcelServiceProvider::class,
],

'aliases' => [
    ...
    'Excel' => Maatwebsite\Excel\Facades\Excel::class,
],

Step 3: Create a Migration for Your Data

Let’s create a migration for the table where we will import the CSV data. Run the following command:

php artisan make:migration create_users_table --create=users

Open the generated migration file in database/migrations and define the table structure. For example:

use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;

class CreateUsersTable extends Migration
{
    public function up()
    {
        Schema::create('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
            $table->id();
            $table->string('name');
            $table->string('email')->unique();
            $table->timestamps();
        });
    }

    public function down()
    {
        Schema::dropIfExists('users');
    }
}

Run the migration to create the table:

php artisan migrate

Step 4: Create a Model and Import Class

Next, create a model for the users table:

php artisan make:model User

Now, create an import class using the maatwebsite/excel package:

php artisan make:import UsersImport --model=User

Open the generated UsersImport class in app/Imports and modify it as follows:

namespace App\Imports;

use App\Models\User;
use Maatwebsite\Excel\Concerns\ToModel;
use Maatwebsite\Excel\Concerns\WithHeadingRow;

class UsersImport implements ToModel, WithHeadingRow
{
    public function model(array $row)
    {
        return new User([
            'name'  => $row['name'],
            'email' => $row['email'],
        ]);
    }
}

Step 5: Create a Controller

Create a controller to handle the file upload and import:

php artisan make:controller ImportController

Open the ImportController and add the following methods:

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use App\Imports\UsersImport;
use Maatwebsite\Excel\Facades\Excel;

class ImportController extends Controller
{
    public function showImportForm()
    {
        return view('import');
    }

    public function import(Request $request)
    {
        $request->validate([
            'file' => 'required|mimes:csv,txt',
        ]);

        Excel::import(new UsersImport, $request->file('file'));

        return redirect()->back()->with('success', 'CSV file imported successfully!');
    }
}

Step 6: Create a Blade View

Create a Blade view to upload the CSV file. In resources/views, create a new file called import.blade.php:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Import CSV File</title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.5.2/css/bootstrap.min.css">
</head>
<body>
<div class="container mt-5">
    <div class="card">
        <div class="card-header">
            <h3>Import CSV File</h3>
        </div>
        <div class="card-body">
            @if (session('success'))
                <div class="alert alert-success">
                    {{ session('success') }}
                </div>
            @endif
            <form action="{{ route('import') }}" method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data">
                @csrf
                <div class="form-group">
                    <label for="file">Choose CSV File</label>
                    <input type="file" name="file" class="form-control" required>
                </div>
                <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary">Import</button>
            </form>
        </div>
    </div>
</div>
</body>
</html>

Step 7: Define Routes

Open the routes/web.php file and add the following routes:

use App\Http\Controllers\ImportController;

Route::get('import-form', [ImportController::class, 'showImportForm']);
Route::post('import', [ImportController::class, 'import'])->name('import');

Step 8: Testing the Import Functionality

Start your Laravel development server:

php artisan serve

Navigate to http://localhost:8000/import-form in your browser. You should see a form to upload a CSV file. Choose your CSV file and click the “Import” button. If everything is set up correctly, the data from the CSV file will be imported into your database.

Conclusion

Importing large CSV files into a database in Laravel 11 is made simple with the maatwebsite/excel package. This guide covered setting up a new Laravel project, creating migrations, models, import classes, and controllers, and creating a simple form to upload and import CSV files. With these steps, you should be able to handle large CSV imports efficiently in your Laravel applications.

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