phinx

Phinx is an open-source database migration tool for PHP that enables versioned, trackable changes to database schemas. It provides a command-line interface and can be used in any PHP project, independent of a specific framework. Phinx supports multiple relational databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and SQL Server through adapters, making it suitable for cross-project deployments.

In Phinx, developers create migration classes stored in a migrations directory. Each migration defines methods such as change(), up(), and down(). The preferred change() method allows Phinx to automatically determine how to reverse changes, while up() and down() offer explicit, manual control. Migrations are tracked by Phinx, ensuring that each change is applied in a controlled, repeatable order. Phinx also supports seed data through seed classes that populate initial or test data into databases.

Configuration and workflow are managed via a configuration file (typically phinx.yml or phinx.php) that defines environments (such as development and production), database connections, and paths to migrations and seeds. Common commands include phinx create to scaffold a new migration, phinx migrate to apply migrations to the latest version, phinx rollback to revert the most recent migration, phinx status to view migration progress, and phinx seed:run to execute seeders.

Usage and impact: Phinx is widely used as a framework-agnostic alternative to framework-specific migration tools. It fits into Composer-based PHP projects and CI pipelines, offering a predictable, auditable history of schema changes and a repeatable deployment process.