How to run migrations automatically on Laravel Vapor

You can't run database migrations manually when a Laravel app is in production. Instead, define a deploy hook in vapor.yml:

# Not a full vapor.yml configuration

environments:
  production:
    deploy:
      - 'php artisan migrate --force'

The --force flag confirms that you're okay with running destructive migrations, such as deleting a column.

Vapor will run this command before the deployment is finalized, making any necessary changes to the production database.