Set Default DB Column Values in Eloquent Model

If you want to set the default values for the database table column, you can do it in Migrations, using the default() method:

Schema::create('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    // ...
    $table->boolean('is_published')->default(false);
    $table->integer('view_count')->default(0);
    $table->string('status')->default('draft');
    $table->timestamps();
});

This would set the defaults on the database level.

But did you know you can also set them in the Eloquent Model, instead? Use the $attributes property for this.

app/Models/Post.php:

class Post extends Model
{
    protected $attributes = [
        'is_published' => false,
        'view_count' => 0,
        'status' => 'draft',
    ];
}

With this approach, new model instances will have these default values before they're saved. As a result, you would be able to change the default values, without changing/migrating the database structure.

Link to the Laravel docs: Eloquent: Default Attribute Values