To connect a Laravel application to an Oracle database

To connect a Laravel application to an Oracle database, you need to set up the necessary configurations and install the appropriate packages. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you achieve this:

Step 1: Install the Oracle Database Driver

1. Install the OCI8 PHP Extension:

   • For Linux (Ubuntu):

     sudo apt-get install php-pear php-dev libaio1
     sudo pecl install oci8
     

     During installation, you will be prompted to enter the Oracle Home directory or Instant Client directory. If you have the Oracle Instant Client, enter the directory path where it's installed.

   • For macOS, if you're using Homebrew:

     
     brew tap InstantClientTap/instantclient
     brew install instantclient-basic instantclient-sdk
     sudo pecl install oci8
     

   • For Windows:

     • Download the Oracle Instant Client from the Oracle website.
     • Extract the contents and set up the environment variables for ORACLE_HOME and TNS_ADMIN.
     • Enable the OCI8 extension in your php.ini file.

2. Install the yajra/laravel-oci8 Package:

   • This package provides an Oracle DB driver for Laravel.

     composer require yajra/laravel-oci8
     

Step 2: Configure the Database Connection

1. Update the .env File:

   • Add your Oracle database connection details to the .env file:

     DB_CONNECTION=oracle
     DB_HOST=your_host
     DB_PORT=your_port
     DB_DATABASE=your_database
     DB_USERNAME=your_username
     DB_PASSWORD=your_password
     

2. Update the config/database.php File:

   • Add the Oracle database configuration to the connections array in config/database.php:

     'connections' => [
     
         // Other connections...
     
         'oracle' => [
             'driver'         => 'oracle',
             'tns'            => env('DB_TNS', ''),
             'host'           => env('DB_HOST', ''),
             'port'           => env('DB_PORT', '1521'),
             'database'       => env('DB_DATABASE', ''),
             'username'       => env('DB_USERNAME', ''),
             'password'       => env('DB_PASSWORD', ''),
             'charset'        => env('DB_CHARSET', 'AL32UTF8'),
             'prefix'         => env('DB_PREFIX', ''),
             'prefix_schema'  => env('DB_SCHEMA_PREFIX', ''),
             'edition'        => env('DB_EDITION', 'ora$base'),
             'server_version' => env('DB_SERVER_VERSION', '11g'),
         ],
     ],
     

3. Set Oracle as the Default Database Connection (Optional):

   • If you want Oracle to be your default database connection, update the default key in config/database.php:

     'default' => env('DB_CONNECTION', 'oracle'),
     

Step 3: Test the Connection

1. Run Migrations:

   • To test the connection, you can run Laravel migrations:

     php artisan migrate
     

   • If everything is set up correctly, your migrations should run without any issues, creating the necessary tables in your Oracle database.

2. Create a Model and Test Queries:

   • You can create a model and test some queries to ensure that your Laravel application can interact with the Oracle database:

     
     php artisan make:model TestModel
     

   • In your controller or a tinker session, try querying the database:

     
     use App\Models\TestModel;
     
     $data = TestModel::all();
     dd($data);
     

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can successfully connect your Laravel application to an Oracle database. The yajra/laravel-oci8 package provides the necessary support for Oracle, allowing you to leverage Laravel's Eloquent ORM and other database features with an Oracle database. For more detailed information and advanced configurations, refer to the yajra/laravel-oci8 documentation.