How to use Laravel-Excel: exports, imports and queues

What Laravel-Excel does

Laravel-Excel is a simple wrapper around PhpSpreadsheet for Laravel exports and imports. You can export Laravel collections directly to an Excel or CSV document, and export database queries with automatic chunking for better performance.

On the import side, it reads workbooks and worksheets and inserts the data into Eloquent models, using chunk reading and batch inserts.

• Export collections to Excel or CSV
• Export database queries with automatic chunking
• Import workbooks and worksheets into Eloquent models
• Export a styled HTML table from a Blade view

Check the requirements and supported versions first

Laravel-Excel requires PHP and Laravel, and the exact versions depend on which package version you pick. The README's support table is the source of truth, so check it against your Laravel and PHP versions before you install.

As of the README, version 3.1 is CVE-only (no active support) and version 4.0 is the one receiving new features. Older versions are listed as unsupported. Do not adopt a version that does not match your stack.

• Laravel-Excel is a Laravel package, so it does not suit non-PHP projects
• Compare your Laravel and PHP versions with the support table in the README
• Use the documentation at docs.laravel-excel.com for the install steps for your version

Install the package with your package manager

The package is installed through a package manager in a Laravel project. The README's install command shown in the source is a git clone of the repository, which you can use to read the code or the source files. For normal use in an application, follow the install instructions in the official documentation for the version you chose.

Make sure you pick the version that matches your Laravel and PHP versions from the support table before installing.

Export query results and collections

The most common use is exporting database query results to Excel or CSV. You pass the query to the package and it handles chunking so large result sets are processed in pieces. For very large datasets, you can queue the export so it runs in the background.

You can also export a Laravel collection directly to an Excel or CSV document, which suits data you have already loaded and transformed in your code.

• Export a query for automatic chunking
• Export a collection to Excel or CSV
• Queue large exports to run in the background

Import spreadsheets into Eloquent models

To import data from users, Laravel-Excel reads the workbook in chunks and writes rows into Eloquent models using batch inserts. For large files you can queue every chunk, so the whole import runs in the background instead of blocking a web request.

Validate the uploaded file and the data it contains before you rely on it, so bad rows do not end up in your database.

• Read workbooks and worksheets in chunks
• Insert rows into Eloquent models with batch inserts
• Queue each chunk of a large file

Export a styled Blade view

If you need a custom layout in the spreadsheet, you can write an HTML table in a Blade view and export that view to Excel. This lets you reuse your existing view for the layout and styling of the file.

Understand the license before using it in production

Laravel-Excel is MIT licensed, but the README also describes it as Postcardware. If the package goes into your production environment, the authors ask you to send a postcard from your hometown. This is a request in the README, so check the license page at docs.laravel-excel.com whether it matters for your commercial project.