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Laravel Eloquent Defaults — Step-by-Step Guide & Transcript

How to Set Default Values in Laravel Eloquent Models

0h 00m video Published May 19, 2025 Transcribed Aug 14, 2026 L Laravel Daily
Beginner 1 min read For: Laravel developers looking to streamline default value management in their models.
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AI Summary

This video explains how to set default values for database fields in Laravel, comparing the traditional migration approach with the Eloquent model's `$attributes` property. It highlights the flexibility of defining defaults in code rather than at the database level.

[00:00]
Setting Defaults in Migrations

You can set default values for fields in Laravel migrations using `default(false)`, `default('status')`, or `default(number)`, which applies at the database level.

[00:12]
Eloquent Model Attributes

Laravel's Eloquent models support an `$attributes` property to define default values that are automatically set when creating a new model instance, as shown in the official documentation.

[00:24]
Example of Eloquent Defaults

The video shows a code example where an array of key-value pairs is provided in the model to set defaults, mirroring the migration approach but at the application level.

[00:41]
Advantage of Code-Level Defaults

Defining defaults in Eloquent allows you to change them without altering the database schema, offering greater flexibility for future updates.

Using Eloquent's `$attributes` property is a practical alternative to database-level defaults, enabling easier maintenance and code-driven configuration.

Mentioned in this Video

Tutorial Checklist

1 00:00 Define default values in migrations using `default()` for database-level defaults.
2 00:12 In your Eloquent model, add an `$attributes` property with an array of key-value pairs for default values.
3 00:24 Instantiate a new model object to see the defaults automatically applied.

Study Flashcards (3)

How do you set a default value in a Laravel migration?

easy Click to reveal answer

Use `default(false)`, `default('status')`, or `default(number)` in the migration column definition.

What property in an Eloquent model allows setting default attribute values?

easy Click to reveal answer

The `$attributes` property.

00:12

What is the advantage of setting defaults in Eloquent over migrations?

medium Click to reveal answer

You can change defaults in code without altering the database schema.

00:41

💡 Key Takeaways

🔧

Eloquent $attributes Property

Introduces a lesser-known but powerful feature for managing defaults at the application level.

00:12
💡

Flexibility of Code-Level Defaults

Highlights a practical benefit that can save developers time and avoid database migrations.

00:41

[00:00] In Laravel database, if you want to set the default value for any field, you can do that in migrations, like this, providing default false, or default status, or default number. And that would be set

[00:12] on the database level. But did you know you can do the same thing in Eloquent model? And here's the documentation. You can provide attribute values with attributes property. This is the

[00:24] example from the docs. So you specify attributes values, which would be automatically set when you create a new model object. So the same example in migrations, if you want to do that on eloquent level in the code, would look something like this. So you just provide array of key and value pairs.

[00:41] The advantage of doing that is that if you want to change the default value, you can do that in the code without changing the database. For more Laravel tips and longer tutorials, subscribe to my channel Laravel Daily.

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