This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Iheb Jabri
Building a Quick CSV Export Command in Laravel
When working with Laravel applications, you might find yourself needing to export data to a CSV file. Whether you're building a reporting feature or simply exporting data for analysis, it’s essential to implement a solution that is both efficient and straightforward.
Here’s a recommended approach for creating a quick CSV export command in Laravel. This method uses Laravel’s chunking functionality to handle large datasets gracefully, writing directly to the output stream with PHP’s fputcsv function.
Why This Approach?
- Efficiency: By leveraging Laravel’s chunking, you process the data in smaller batches, reducing memory usage.
- Scalability: You can export large datasets without running into memory issues.
-
Simplicity: Using
fputcsvensures that CSV formatting is handled correctly without needing additional libraries.
Code Example
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Collection;
$chunk = 500; // Number of records per chunk
$output = fopen('php://stdout', 'wb+'); // Open a stream to StdOut
// Write the CSV headers
fputcsv($output, ['email', 'name']);
// Query the data and write to CSV in chunks
User::select(['email', 'name'])
->chunk($chunk, function (Collection $users) use ($output) {
$users->each(
fn($user) => fputcsv($output, [$user->email, $user->name])
);
});
Breaking Down the Code
1. Define the Chunk Size
The $chunk variable determines how many records are processed in each iteration. Adjust this number based on your dataset size and memory availability.
$chunk = 500;
2. Open a Stream to StdOut
Using php://stdout, you can write directly to the output stream. This is particularly useful for commands that generate CSV exports, as the output can be piped directly to a file or another process.
$output = fopen('php://stdout', 'wb+');
3. Write the CSV Headers
Before writing the data rows, define the CSV headers with fputcsv.
fputcsv($output, ['email', 'name']);
4. Query the Data in Chunks
Use Laravel’s chunk method to process the data in smaller batches. This prevents memory exhaustion when dealing with large datasets.
User::select(['email', 'name'])
->chunk($chunk, function (Collection $users) use ($output) {
$users->each(
fn($user) => fputcsv($output, [$user->email, $user->name])
);
});
5. Write Each Row
For each user in the chunk, use fputcsv to format and write their data as a CSV row.
fn($user) => fputcsv($output, [$user->email, $user->name]);
Use Case: Artisan Command
You can encapsulate this functionality within an Artisan command, allowing you to execute the export with a single terminal command. Here’s how you can structure your Artisan command:
<?php
namespace App\Console\Commands;
use Illuminate\Console\Command;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Collection;
use App\Models\User;
class ExportUsersToCsv extends Command
{
protected $signature = 'export:users';
protected $description = 'Export users to a CSV file';
public function handle()
{
$chunk = 500;
$output = fopen('php://stdout', 'wb+');
// Write the CSV headers
fputcsv($output, ['email', 'name']);
// Query the data and write to CSV in chunks
User::select(['email', 'name'])
->chunk($chunk, function (Collection $users) use ($output) {
$users->each(
fn($user) => fputcsv($output, [$user->email, $user->name])
);
});
}
}
Conclusion
This approach to CSV export is efficient, scalable, and simple to implement. By leveraging Laravel’s chunking and PHP’s native fputcsv, you ensure your application can handle even large datasets without performance issues.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Iheb Jabri
Iheb Jabri | Sciencx (2025-01-13T01:31:27+00:00) Building a Quick CSV Export Command in Laravel. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/01/13/building-a-quick-csv-export-command-in-laravel/
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