Running and rolling back migrations in Laravel - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ component_behavior

intermediate

What happens when you run php artisan migrate in Laravel?

You run php artisan migrate in a Laravel project with new migration files. What is the result?

A Laravel applies all pending migrations and updates the database schema accordingly.

B Laravel rolls back the last batch of migrations automatically.

C Laravel only creates migration files but does not change the database.

D Laravel deletes all existing tables and recreates them from scratch.

💡 Hint

Think about what 'migrate' means in database terms.

Running php artisan migrate applies all new migrations that have not been run yet, updating the database schema step-by-step.

❓ state_output

intermediate

What is the effect of php artisan migrate:rollback?

After running several migrations, you execute php artisan migrate:rollback. What happens to the database?

A The database is backed up but no schema changes occur.

B All migrations are rolled back, clearing the entire database schema.

C No changes happen; the command only shows migration status.

D The last batch of migrations is reversed, undoing their database changes.

💡 Hint

Rollback means undo the last step.

The rollback command reverses the last group of migrations that were applied, undoing their changes.

📝 Syntax

advanced

Which command rolls back the last 3 batches of migrations?

You want to undo the last 3 batches of migrations in Laravel. Which command is correct?

A php artisan migrate:rollback --step=3

B php artisan migrate:rollback -n 3

C php artisan migrate:rollback --batches=3

D php artisan migrate:rollback 3

💡 Hint

Check the official Laravel syntax for rollback steps.

The --step=3 option tells Laravel to rollback the last 3 batches.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does php artisan migrate:rollback fail with 'No migrations to rollback'?

You run php artisan migrate:rollback but get the error 'No migrations to rollback'. What is the most likely reason?

A The migration files have syntax errors preventing rollback.

B There are no migrations applied yet to rollback.

C The database connection is missing in the config file.

D The rollback command requires a --force flag to run.

💡 Hint

Think about what rollback needs to undo.

If no migrations have been applied, there is nothing to rollback, so Laravel shows this message.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

What is the difference between php artisan migrate:refresh and php artisan migrate:rollback?

Choose the option that best explains the difference between these two Laravel migration commands.

A <code>migrate:refresh</code> only rolls back the last batch; <code>migrate:rollback</code> rolls back all migrations.

B <code>migrate:refresh</code> creates new migration files; <code>migrate:rollback</code> deletes migration files.

C <code>migrate:refresh</code> rolls back all migrations and then runs them again; <code>migrate:rollback</code> only rolls back the last batch.

D <code>migrate:refresh</code> deletes the database; <code>migrate:rollback</code> backs up the database.

💡 Hint

Refresh means start fresh by undoing all and reapplying.

migrate:refresh resets the database by rolling back all migrations and then running them again, while migrate:rollback only undoes the last batch.