Seeder Dependencies

The $dependencies property allows you to specify which seeders must run before the current seeder. This is essential when seeders have foreign key relationships or need to create data in a specific order.

Defining Dependencies

Specify dependent seeders using the $dependencies property:

php

<?php

namespace Database\Seeders;

use App\Models\User;
use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
use OiLab\OiLaravelSeeds\Traits\ExportableSeeder;

class UserSeeder extends Seeder
{
    use ExportableSeeder;

    protected string $jsonFilename = 'users.json';

    protected string $modelClass = User::class;

    protected array $dependencies = [
        RoleSeeder::class,
        TenantSeeder::class,
    ];

    public function run(): void
    {
        $this->importData();
    }
}

In this example, RoleSeeder and TenantSeeder must run before UserSeeder.

Topological Sorting

When you run php artisan seed:import (without specifying a single seeder), the package uses depth-first topological sort to order all seeders based on their dependencies.

Example Dependency Chain

Consider four seeders with the following relationships:

TenantSeeder (no dependencies)
    ↓
RoleSeeder (depends on Tenant)
    ↓
UserSeeder (depends on Role and Tenant)
    ↓
CompanySeeder (depends on User)

Seeder Configuration

php

// TenantSeeder.php
protected array $dependencies = [];

// RoleSeeder.php
protected array $dependencies = [TenantSeeder::class];

// UserSeeder.php
protected array $dependencies = [RoleSeeder::class, TenantSeeder::class];

// CompanySeeder.php
protected array $dependencies = [UserSeeder::class];

Execution Order

When you run php artisan seed:import, seeders execute in this order:

1. TenantSeeder    (no dependencies)
2. RoleSeeder      (depends on Tenant)
3. UserSeeder      (depends on Role and Tenant)
4. CompanySeeder   (depends on User)

The command respects all dependency constraints.

Circular Dependency Detection

If you create circular dependencies, the package detects and reports an error:

php

// UserSeeder.php
protected array $dependencies = [RoleSeeder::class];

// RoleSeeder.php
protected array $dependencies = [UserSeeder::class]; // CIRCULAR!

Running php artisan seed:import fails:

Error: Circular dependency detected between seeders

Remove the circular reference to fix this.

Multiple Dependencies

A seeder can depend on multiple other seeders:

php

protected array $dependencies = [
    TenantSeeder::class,
    RoleSeeder::class,
    DepartmentSeeder::class,
];

All dependencies must complete before this seeder runs.

Real-World Example

Consider a multi-tenant SaaS application with the following structure:

Tenants → Roles → Users → Permissions → Audits

TenantSeeder

php

<?php

namespace Database\Seeders;

use App\Models\Tenant;
use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
use OiLab\OiLaravelSeeds\Traits\ExportableSeeder;

class TenantSeeder extends Seeder
{
    use ExportableSeeder;

    protected string $jsonFilename = 'tenants.json';

    protected string $modelClass = Tenant::class;

    protected array $dependencies = []; // No dependencies

    public function run(): void
    {
        $this->importData();
    }
}

RoleSeeder

php

<?php

namespace Database\Seeders;

use App\Models\Role;
use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
use OiLab\OiLaravelSeeds\Traits\ExportableSeeder;

class RoleSeeder extends Seeder
{
    use ExportableSeeder;

    protected string $jsonFilename = 'roles.json';

    protected string $modelClass = Role::class;

    protected array $dependencies = [TenantSeeder::class];

    public function run(): void
    {
        $this->importData();
    }
}

UserSeeder

php

<?php

namespace Database\Seeders;

use App\Models\User;
use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
use OiLab\OiLaravelSeeds\Traits\ExportableSeeder;

class UserSeeder extends Seeder
{
    use ExportableSeeder;

    protected string $jsonFilename = 'users.json';

    protected string $modelClass = User::class;

    protected array $dependencies = [
        TenantSeeder::class,
        RoleSeeder::class,
    ];

    public function run(): void
    {
        $this->importData();
    }
}

PermissionSeeder

php

<?php

namespace Database\Seeders;

use App\Models\Permission;
use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
use OiLab\OiLaravelSeeds\Traits\ExportableSeeder;

class PermissionSeeder extends Seeder
{
    use ExportableSeeder;

    protected string $jsonFilename = 'permissions.json';

    protected string $modelClass = Permission::class;

    protected array $dependencies = [RoleSeeder::class];

    public function run(): void
    {
        $this->importData();
    }
}

Execution

When you run:

bash

php artisan seed:import

Seeders execute in order:

Importing TenantSeeder...
Imported 2 tenants
Importing RoleSeeder...
Imported 5 roles
Importing UserSeeder...
Imported 12 users
Importing PermissionSeeder...
Imported 20 permissions
All seeders imported successfully.

Why Dependencies Matter

Preventing Foreign Key Errors

Without proper ordering, you get constraint violations:

SQLSTATE[HY000]: General error: 1452 Cannot add or update a child row: a foreign key constraint fails

With dependencies, foreign keys are properly ordered.

Deterministic Seeding

Dependencies ensure that no matter the order seeders are discovered, they execute in the correct order.

Database Migrations Aren't Affected

Seeder dependencies only order seeders relative to each other. Database migrations still run before any seeders. Ensure your migrations create tables in the correct order separately.

Next Steps

Multiple Models — Handle multiple models in one seeder
Importing Data — Understand the upsert logic
seed:import Command — Full command reference

Advanced

Dependencies, multiple models, relations, and bundled AI skills

Multiple Models