jpbgomes/laravel-database-backup

A simple Laravel package to backup MySQL databases and send them via email.

1.1.0 2026-02-23 23:29 UTC

Requires

• php: >=8.0
• illuminate/support: >=9.0
• symfony/process: ^6.0|^7.0

MIT

README

A simple Laravel package to back up your MySQL or MariaDB database and send the backup file via email, now with optional ZIP compression, password protection, and extra file/folder inclusion.

⚠️ Only MySQL/MariaDB are supported currently, since the package relies on mysqldump.

🚀 Installation

Require the package via Composer (from Packagist):

composer require jpbgomes/laravel-database-backup

Laravel will auto-discover the service provider. If not, add it manually to config/app.php:

'providers' => [
    Jpbgomes\DatabaseBackup\BackupServiceProvider::class,
]

Publish the config file:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Jpbgomes\\DatabaseBackup\\BackupServiceProvider" --tag=config

⚙️ Configuration

Edit config/backup.php after publishing:

return [
    'path' => storage_path('app/backups'),
    'recipients' => array_filter(array_map('trim', explode(',', env('BACKUP_EMAIL', '[e-mail]')))),
    'zip_password' => env('BACKUP_ZIP_PASSWORD', null),
    'include' => [
        // '.env',
        // 'storage/app/public',
    ],
    'keep_local' => false,
];

Set your backup recipients and optional ZIP password in .env:

BACKUP_EMAIL=[e-mail],[e-mail]
BACKUP_ZIP_PASSWORD=

Mailer Configuration

You must configure Laravel’s mailer to send the backups. A free recommended option is Gmail, but you must enable 2-Factor Authentication and create an App Password.

Example .env:

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_SCHEME=null
MAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
MAIL_PORT=465
MAIL_USERNAME=[e-mail]
MAIL_PASSWORD='your_app_password'
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS="[e-mail]"
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"

📝 Usage

Run the backup command:

php artisan backup:database

This will:

1. Create a .sql dump using mysqldump.

2. Generate a .zip file containing the SQL dump.

3. Optionally:

   • Protect the zip with a password.
   • Include extra folders/files in the zip.

4. Send the ZIP file to all configured recipients.

5. Optionally remove the local ZIP file.

⚙️ Advanced Configuration

Multiple Recipients

BACKUP_EMAIL=[e-mail],[e-mail]

Password Protect ZIP

BACKUP_ZIP_PASSWORD=YourStrongPassword

If empty, the ZIP will not be encrypted.

Include Additional Files/Folders

Edit config/backup.php:

'include' => [
    '.env',
    'storage/app/public',
],

Paths are relative to base_path().

⏰ Automating Daily Backups

You can automate backups using crontab. Example to run every day at 4 AM:

0 4 * * * sudo php /path_to/your_project/artisan backup:database >> /dev/null 2>&1

Adjust the path to your Laravel project’s artisan file.

🛡 Security Notes & Caveats

• mysqldump must be installed and accessible to the PHP process user.
• DB credentials may appear briefly in process listings.
• For large databases, the backup is compressed in a ZIP.
• SQL file is never sent directly, reducing exposure.
• Password-protected ZIP uses AES-256 encryption.

🤝 Contributing & Improvements

Suggestions for improvements:

• Support for other database types (Postgres, SQLite).
• Remote storage integrations (S3, Google Cloud, etc.).
• Unit and integration tests for the backup command.
• CI/CD pipeline for testing and releases.

📜 License

MIT — free to use, modify, and share.