README

A powerful and flexible Laravel package to manage your database backups and restorations. The missing MSSQL (SQL Server) backup solution for Laravel — also supports MySQL, with the ability to save backups to local or remote shares via SMB.

Why this package? Popular backup packages like spatie/laravel-backup do not support Microsoft SQL Server. If you work with MSSQL in a Laravel environment, this is the package for you.

Key Features

• First-Class MSSQL Support: Full backup and restore via sqlcmd, with SINGLE_USER mode for safe restores.
• Multi-Database Support: Backup one or more databases in a single operation.
• Driver Pattern: Native support for MSSQL and MySQL.
• Database Restoration: Restore your databases directly from the dashboard or via code.
• SMB Integration: Save and manage backups on SMB shares (via smbclient).
• MSSQL Compression: Optional native WITH COMPRESSION for smaller backup files.
• Backup Verification: Verify backup integrity with RESTORE VERIFYONLY (MSSQL).
• Automatic Cleanup: Backup rotation with "Soft Delete" support (moving to a trash folder).
• Email Notifications: Receive automatic email alerts when a backup fails.
• Activity Logging: Daily log files to track every operation (backup, restore, delete).
• Modern Dashboard: Web interface to monitor, create, restore backups, and view logs.
• Security: Configurable middleware, authorization gates, and path traversal protection.

Installation

You can install the package via composer:

composer require salvatorecervone/backup-database

Next, publish the configuration file:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag="backup-database-config"

Configuration

The configuration file is located at config/backup-database.php.

Route Protection (Middleware)

By default, the dashboard and all backup routes are protected by web and auth middleware. You can customize this:

'middleware' => ['web', 'auth', 'can:admin'],

'route_prefix' => 'backups',

// Optional: gate-based authorization (define the gate in your AuthServiceProvider)
'authorization_gate' => 'viewBackups',

Connections

You can configure multiple connections:

'listconnections' => [
    [
        'connection' => 'sqlsrv', // Connection name in your database.php
        'daily' => true,
        'datetimeFormat' => 'Y-m-d_H-i',
        'destinationpath' => '//192.168.1.100/backups/', // Supports SMB shares or local paths
        'days_for_delete' => 7, // Keep backups for 7 days
        'soft_delete' => true, // Move to /trash instead of permanent deletion
    ],
],

Binary Paths

If the required tools are not in your system PATH, you can specify their locations:

'bin_paths' => [
    'sqlcmd' => '/opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd',
    'mysqldump' => 'mysqldump',
    'mysql' => 'mysql',
    'smbclient' => 'smbclient',
],

Email Notifications

Set an email address to receive alerts on backup failure. Ensure your Laravel SMTP settings are configured in your app's .env.

'notification_email' => 'admin@example.com',

Logging

By default, the package logs all activities to storage/logs/backup-database-YYYY-MM-DD.log. You can toggle this feature:

'enable_logging' => true,

Usage

Web Dashboard

Access the dashboard by navigating to: http://your-app.test/backups

From the dashboard you can:

• View all existing backups.
• Manually run backups for all connections.
• Restore a database from a specific file.
• Delete old backups.

Artisan Command

To automate backups (e.g., via Laravel's scheduler):

php artisan backup-database:backup

The command returns a non-zero exit code if any backup fails, making it suitable for monitoring tools.

Scheduling

Add the command to your routes/console.php (or Kernel.php for older Laravel versions):

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schedule;

Schedule::command('backup-database:backup')->dailyAt('03:00');

Programmatic Usage

You can also use the service directly in your code:

use SalvatoreCervone\BackupDatabase\Facades\BackupDatabase;

// Run backup for all connections
$results = BackupDatabase::backup();

// Get status/file list
$status = BackupDatabase::getStatus();

// Restore a specific backup (connection name + file basename)
$result = BackupDatabase::restore('sqlsrv', 'MyDB_2026-09-24.bak');

// Delete a backup file
$result = BackupDatabase::delete('sqlsrv', 'MyDB_old.bak');

Important Notes for MSSQL Users

How MSSQL Backup Works

The BACKUP DATABASE ... TO DISK command is executed by the SQL Server engine, not by PHP. This means:

• The destination path must be accessible to the SQL Server service account (e.g., NT SERVICE\MSSQLSERVER on Windows, or mssql on Linux).
• If Laravel and SQL Server are on different machines, the destination path must be a network share (UNC path) that SQL Server can write to (e.g., \\192.168.1.100\backups\).
• If they are on the same machine, a local path works fine.

MSSQL Compression

Enable native backup compression by adding 'compression' => true to your connection config. This uses SQL Server's WITH COMPRESSION option, which can reduce backup sizes by 50-80%.

System Requirements

• PHP 8.3 or higher
• Laravel 10.x, 11.x, or 12.x
• MSSQL: sqlcmd installed on the server.
• MySQL: mysqldump and mysql client installed.
• SMB: smbclient installed (required for SMB shares on Linux).

Credits

• Salvatore Cervone
• All Contributors

License

MIT License. Please see the LICENSE file for more information.