Saving multiple records in a laravel eloquent create
Stefan Izdrail
Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29
Title: Understanding Multiple Record Creation with Laravel Eloquent Model
Body:
When working with large amounts of data, it is often necessary to save multiple records in Laravel's Eloquent Model. In the provided example code, you can see a set of arrays that contain different attributes for creating AppSettings records. The problem you are facing is that only the first array seems to be saved as a record. This usually happens due to some missteps or misunderstandings in understanding how Laravel handles multiple record creation using Eloquent models. This blog post aims to discuss the correct approach and best practices for creating multiple records efficiently.
Firstly, let's break down your code:
```php
AppSettings::create(
[
'name' => 'mail_host',
'type' => $emailsettingstype->id,
'value' => '',
],
[
'name' => 'mail_port',
'type' => $emailsettingstype->id,
'value' => '',
],
[
'name' => 'mail_username',
'type' => $emailsettingstype->id,
'value' => '',
]
);
```
The example shows an attempt to create a list of AppSettings records by passing three arrays that contain the details for each record. Unfortunately, as you have experienced, Laravel Eloquent's `create()` method takes only a single array, where each key represents the column name and the value contains its respective data.
To solve this issue, we can use Laravel Eloquent model's bulk insertion feature to create multiple records in one go. The `createMany()` method allows us to pass an associative array that contains multiple records instead of using individual arrays as shown earlier. Let's revise the code with the corrected approach:
```php
$records = [
['name' => 'mail_host', 'type' => $emailsettingstype->id, 'value' => ''],
['name' => 'mail_port', 'type' => $emailsettingstype->id, 'value' => ''],
['name' => 'mail_username', 'type' => $emailsettingstype->id, 'value' => '']
];
AppSettings::createMany($records);
```
In this revised code, we create an associative array called `$records`, which contains multiple records as key-value pairs. Then we call the Eloquent model's `createMany()` method, passing the `$records` variable. As a result, all three records should now be saved properly in the database.
In conclusion, the issue with your code was caused by trying to create multiple records using Laravel's `create()` method instead of utilizing its bulk insertion capabilities through the `createMany()` method. By following the correct approach, you can effectively save multiple records in one go and enhance the efficiency of your application. Remember that clear communication between the model layer and database is crucial when dealing with complex data structures. For further guidance on using Laravel's Eloquent models, please visit our resources such as https://laravelcompany.com/blog/eloquent-model-basics to learn more.