spatie

spatie/db-dumper

PHP MIT DevOps

Dump the contents of a database

1.2k stars
160 forks
recent
GitHub

1.2k

Stars

160

Forks

0

Open issues

30

Contributors

4.1.1 04 May 2026

AI Analysis

A PHP library that creates database dumps for MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and MongoDB by wrapping native command-line utilities. It serves developers and DevOps professionals who need programmatic database backup functionality within PHP applications, particularly in Laravel ecosystems where Spatie packages are widely adopted. Not suitable for applications requiring real-time replication or those needing database abstraction beyond dump operations.

DevOps Developer Tool Discovery value: 3/10
Documentation 8/10
Activity 9/10
Community 8/10
Code quality 7/10

Inferred from signals mentioned in the README (tests, CI, type safety) — not a review of the actual code.

Overall score 8/10

AI's overall editorial judgment — not an average of the bars above, can weigh other factors too.

database-backup php-utility devops data-export multi-database
Actively maintained Well documented MIT licensed Niche/specialized use case Beginner friendly Production ready
Deep Analysis · Based on README and public signals
1w ago

Lightweight PHP wrapper for native database dump tools across MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and MongoDB

db-dumper is a PHP utility that wraps native command-line dumping tools (mysqldump, pg_dump, sqlite3, mongodump) behind a fluent API for programmatic database exports. Built by Spatie, it targets PHP developers who need to integrate database backups or snapshots into applications. Adoption appears concentrated within the Laravel ecosystem and Spatie's own product ecosystem, with 1,175 GitHub stars and stable maintenance as of June 2026.

Origin

Created January 2016 by Spatie, db-dumper emerged as a thin abstraction layer around system dump binaries. It evolved to support multiple databases and compression options. The package sits in a defined niche within Laravel/PHP tooling rather than having pursued broad adoption outside that ecosystem.

Growth

Growth plateaued early; 1,175 stars accumulated over 10+ years with zero stars in the last 7 days (as of June 2026) indicates a mature, stable project without active momentum. The package benefited from Spatie's reputation and Laravel adoption, but remained a utility rather than a category leader. Closely related projects like laravel-backup (6,005 stars) and laravel-db-snapshots (1,210 stars) suggest db-dumper fills a specific sub-function rather than solving a broader problem.

In production

Adoption not verified in README. Package integrates with Laravel backup tools and is published on Packagist, implying production use within PHP/Laravel shops, but no explicit case studies, download metrics, or documented large-scale deployments are mentioned. Inclusion in Spatie's ecosystem suggests real usage, but scale is unknown.

Code analysis
Architecture

Appears to follow a driver pattern with database-specific implementations (MySql, PostgreSQL, Sqlite, MongoDb classes) wrapped in a fluent interface. README shows method chaining for configuration (setDbName, setPassword, dumpToFile, etc.). Likely uses process execution to invoke native binaries rather than implementing dump logic natively.

Tests

README references a 'run-tests' workflow badge indicating CI/CD is present, but specific test coverage metrics are not documented in the README.

Maintenance

Last push 2026-06-26 (7 days before evaluation date) indicates active maintenance. MIT license and packagist distribution are standard. No evidence of abandonment, but lack of recent feature additions and zero stars gained in 7 days suggests maturity rather than active development momentum.

Honest verdict

ADOPT IF: you are building a Laravel/PHP application that needs programmatic database exports and want a lightweight, native-tool-backed solution without vendoring an ORM. AVOID IF: you need database portability across non-relational systems, require restore functionality in the same package, or prefer pure PHP implementations without system binary dependencies. MONITOR IF: you are evaluating this as part of a larger backup/disaster-recovery strategy—use it as a component, not as your sole backup solution (see laravel-backup for orchestration).

Independent dimensions

Mainstream potential

3/10

Technical importance

5/10

Adoption evidence

4/10

Risks
  • Requires system binaries (mysqldump, pg_dump, etc.) to be present and in PATH or explicitly configured; deployment complexity increases in containerized environments.
  • No restore or validation functionality; users must handle import logic separately, increasing implementation burden.
  • Tied to native tool versions; breaking changes in mysqldump or pg_dump behavior propagate to users.
  • Limited documentation of real-world usage patterns; few public examples of large-scale or complex backup workflows.
  • Zero growth signal over past 7 days and flat star history suggest limited active ecosystem pull; may indicate the problem is considered solved adequately by alternatives.
Prediction

Likely to remain a stable, niche utility within the Laravel ecosystem. Expect continued maintenance for bug fixes and new PHP versions, but no significant feature expansion. May be gradually absorbed into higher-level backup tools (like laravel-backup) as primary entry point for most users.

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Languages

PHP
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Information

Language
PHP
License
MIT
Last updated
2w ago
Created
128mo ago
Analyzed with
anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5

Stars over time

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Contributors over time

Top 100 contributors only — repos with more will plateau at 100.

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Open issues

No open issues — clean slate.

Open pull requests

No open pull requests.

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vs. alternatives
spatie/laravel-backup

Much larger scope (6,005 stars); handles full backup orchestration including db-dumper as a component. db-dumper is lower-level and more specialized.

spatie/laravel-db-snapshots

Similar stars (1,210 vs 1,175); likely complements db-dumper by adding snapshot management on top of dump functionality.

Native mysqldump/pg_dump

db-dumper is a thin wrapper; users accept the abstraction cost for PHP API convenience and multi-database support within a single interface.

PHP-based ORM backup tools

Doctrine DBAL (9,703 stars) offers different approach; db-dumper avoids ORM overhead by delegating to native tools.