Laravel Event Sourcing: Projections & Snapshots | Mohamed Said [Skip to content](#main) [ ![](https://cdn.msaied.com/01KT78WE565VEMM3PSNQAAB0MH.png) Mohamed SaidLaravel Backend Engineer ](https://www.msaied.com/public) - [Home](https://www.msaied.com/public) - [Projects](https://www.msaied.com/public/projects) - [Articles](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles) - [Certificates](https://www.msaied.com/public/certificates) - [About](https://www.msaied.com/public#about) [ Contact](https://www.msaied.com/public#contact) Menu Menu ---- Close - [HomeStart here](https://www.msaied.com/public) - [ProjectsCase studies](https://www.msaied.com/public/projects) - [ArticlesEngineering notes](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles) - [CertificatesCredentials](https://www.msaied.com/public/certificates) - [AboutHow I work](https://www.msaied.com/public#about) - [ContactGet in touch](https://www.msaied.com/public#contact) [Start a conversation](https://www.msaied.com/public#contact) [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/201094619204) [Email](mailto:hello@msaied.com) 1. [Home](https://www.msaied.com/public) 2. / 3. [Articles](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles) 4. / 5. Laravel Event Sourcing: Projections, Snapshots, and Replay Without the Framework Tax Laravel Event Sourcing: Projections, Snapshots, and Replay Without the Framework Tax ===================================================================================== Event sourcing in Laravel without a heavy framework. Build lean projectors, snapshot aggregates at scale, and replay history safely — using plain PHP classes and Eloquent. ![](https://cdn.msaied.com/01M22N44A70A5MC2S599JP0MPH.webp) [Mohamed Said](https://www.msaied.com/public#person) Published 19 Jul 2026 · Updated 19 Jul 2026 · 4 min read ShareCopy linkCopied ![Laravel Event Sourcing: Projections, Snapshots, and Replay Without the Framework Tax](https://cdn.msaied.com/445/b4f83e0b5da7c11e2fe942eebc1cad08.png) On this page +1. [Why Roll Lean Instead of Reaching for a Package](#why-roll-lean-instead-of-reaching-for-a-package) 2. [The Event Store](#the-event-store) 3. [Aggregates Without Magic](#aggregates-without-magic) 4. [Snapshots: Skip the Full Replay](#snapshots-skip-the-full-replay) 5. [Projectors and Safe Replay](#projectors-and-safe-replay) 6. [Takeaways](#takeaways) Why Roll Lean Instead of Reaching for a Package ----------------------------------------------- Spatie's `laravel-event-sourcing` is excellent, but it carries opinions about aggregate roots, stored events, and projectors that can feel heavy for teams who only need parts of the pattern. Understanding the mechanics first — then choosing a library — leads to better decisions. This article builds a minimal but production-honest event sourcing kernel: an append-only event store, a replayable projector, aggregate snapshots, and a safe replay strategy. --- The Event Store --------------- The foundation is a single append-only table. Never update or delete rows. ```php Schema::create('domain_events', function (Blueprint $table) { $table->id(); $table->uuid('aggregate_id')->index(); $table->string('aggregate_type'); $table->unsignedInteger('version'); $table->string('event_type'); $table->jsonb('payload'); $table->timestamp('occurred_at', 6)->useCurrent(); $table->unique(['aggregate_id', 'version']); // optimistic concurrency }); ``` The `unique` constraint on `(aggregate_id, version)` is your optimistic concurrency guard. Two concurrent writes for the same version will throw a `QueryException` — catch it and surface a domain conflict. ```php final class EventStore { public function append(string $aggregateId, string $type, DomainEvent $event, int $expectedVersion): void { DB::table('domain_events')->insert([ 'aggregate_id' => $aggregateId, 'aggregate_type' => $type, 'version' => $expectedVersion + 1, 'event_type' => $event::class, 'payload' => json_encode($event->toArray()), 'occurred_at' => now(), ]); } public function loadFrom(string $aggregateId, int $fromVersion = 0): Collection { return DB::table('domain_events') ->where('aggregate_id', $aggregateId) ->where('version', '>', $fromVersion) ->orderBy('version') ->get(); } } ``` --- Aggregates Without Magic ------------------------ An aggregate records events internally and applies them to mutate state. ```php abstract class AggregateRoot { private array $recordedEvents = []; protected int $version = 0; protected function recordThat(DomainEvent $event): void { $this->apply($event); $this->recordedEvents[] = $event; $this->version++; } abstract protected function apply(DomainEvent $event): void; public function releaseEvents(): array { $events = $this->recordedEvents; $this->recordedEvents = []; return $events; } public function version(): int { return $this->version; } } ``` Reconstitution replays stored events through `apply()` without re-recording them: ```php public static function reconstitute(Collection $storedEvents): static { $aggregate = new static(); foreach ($storedEvents as $row) { $eventClass = $row->event_type; $aggregate->apply($eventClass::fromArray(json_decode($row->payload, true))); $aggregate->version = $row->version; } return $aggregate; } ``` --- Snapshots: Skip the Full Replay ------------------------------- For aggregates with thousands of events, replaying from zero is expensive. Snapshots cache state at a version checkpoint. ```php Schema::create('aggregate_snapshots', function (Blueprint $table) { $table->uuid('aggregate_id')->primary(); $table->unsignedInteger('version'); $table->jsonb('state'); $table->timestamp('taken_at')->useCurrent(); }); ``` Load the snapshot first, then only replay events *after* its version: ```php public function load(string $aggregateId): MyAggregate { $snapshot = DB::table('aggregate_snapshots') ->where('aggregate_id', $aggregateId) ->first(); $fromVersion = $snapshot?->version ?? 0; $events = $this->store->loadFrom($aggregateId, $fromVersion); if ($snapshot) { $aggregate = MyAggregate::fromSnapshot(json_decode($snapshot->state, true)); } else { $aggregate = MyAggregate::reconstitute($events); return $aggregate; } return MyAggregate::reconstituteFrom($aggregate, $events); } ``` Snapshot every N events (e.g., 50) inside your command handler after persisting. --- Projectors and Safe Replay -------------------------- A projector listens to stored events and builds a read model. Keep projectors idempotent — replay must be safe to run multiple times. ```php final class OrderSummaryProjector { public function onOrderPlaced(OrderPlaced $event): void { DB::table('order_summaries')->upsert( ['order_id' => $event->orderId, 'status' => 'placed', 'total' => $event->total], ['order_id'], ['status', 'total'] ); } } ``` For replay, truncate the read model table first, then stream events in chunks: ```php DB::table('order_summaries')->truncate(); DB::table('domain_events') ->where('event_type', OrderPlaced::class) ->orderBy('id') ->chunk(500, function ($rows) use ($projector) { foreach ($rows as $row) { $projector->onOrderPlaced( OrderPlaced::fromArray(json_decode($row->payload, true)) ); } }); ``` Wrap replay in a queue job with a unique lock so two replays never race. --- Takeaways --------- - The `unique(aggregate_id, version)` constraint gives you optimistic concurrency for free at the DB level. - Snapshots are a performance concern, not a correctness concern — add them only when replay latency becomes measurable. - Projectors must be idempotent; `upsert()` is your friend. - Replay is a maintenance operation — run it in a queued job with a mutex, never in a request cycle. - You can adopt this pattern incrementally: start with one aggregate and one projector before committing to a full framework. - [laravel](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=laravel) - [event-sourcing](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=event-sourcing) - [ddd](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=ddd) - [architecture](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=architecture) Frequently asked questions --------------------------- When should I use a snapshot versus always replaying from the beginning?Snapshot when reconstitution latency becomes noticeable in production — typically when an aggregate accumulates hundreds of events. Measure first; premature snapshotting adds complexity without benefit. How do I handle projector schema changes when replaying old events?Version your event payloads with an upcaster: a small transformer that converts old payload shapes to the current schema before the projector sees them. Keep upcasters in a chain so each handles exactly one version transition. Is it safe to dispatch Laravel jobs from inside a projector during replay?No. During replay, side-effects like emails or external API calls must be suppressed. Use a replay flag (e.g., a singleton boolean in the container) that projectors check before dispatching any secondary effects. ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01M22N44A70A5MC2S599JP0MPH.webp)About the author ---------------- [Mohamed Said](https://www.msaied.com/public#person)Senior Backend Engineer specializing in Laravel, scalable SaaS platforms, APIs, and cloud infrastructure. I build secure, high-performance web applications that help businesses grow. [About](https://www.msaied.com/public#about) [GitHub ↗](https://github.com/EG-Mohamed) [LinkedIn ↗](https://www.linkedin.com/in/msaiedm/) [WhatsApp ↗](https://wa.me/201094619204) [Email Address ↗](mailto:hello@msaied.com) [My CV ↗](https://drive.google.com/file/u/0/d/1MF20IPRJyzfy32mhEutjL5EpSls0w2Q8/view) [Previous articleLaravel Broadcasting with Reverb: Building Typed Event Contracts for WebSocket Channels](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles/laravel-broadcasting-with-reverb-building-typed-event-contracts-for-websocket-channels) [Next articleCQRS in Laravel Without a Framework: Commands, Handlers, and Read Models That Stay Lean](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles/cqrs-in-laravel-without-a-framework-commands-handlers-and-read-models-that-stay-lean) On this page ------------- 1. [Why Roll Lean Instead of Reaching for a Package](#why-roll-lean-instead-of-reaching-for-a-package) 2. [The Event Store](#the-event-store) 3. [Aggregates Without Magic](#aggregates-without-magic) 4. [Snapshots: Skip the Full Replay](#snapshots-skip-the-full-replay) 5. [Projectors and Safe Replay](#projectors-and-safe-replay) 6. [Takeaways](#takeaways) ### Have a technical challenge? Tell me what you’re building. I reply within two working days. [Start a conversation](https://www.msaied.com/public#contact) Related articles ----------------- [ ![](https://cdn.msaied.com/740/cce86edc21eddcbdd2f2454fadaf9c70.png) · 3 min read### The Pipeline Pattern in Laravel: Custom Pipelines Beyond Middleware 5 Oct 2026 ](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles/the-pipeline-pattern-in-laravel-custom-pipelines-beyond-middleware-1) [ ![](https://cdn.msaied.com/739/2d6897fdcdcf090613f96f72a64b8a78.png) · 4 min read### MySQL Full-Text Search in Laravel: Indexes, Relevance Scoring, and Boolean Mode 4 Oct 2026 ](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles/mysql-full-text-search-in-laravel-indexes-relevance-scoring-and-boolean-mode) [ ![](https://cdn.msaied.com/738/073696a3fefe18bec825beec5ac658f5.png) · 4 min read### Laravel Queue Rate-Limited Middleware: Throttling Jobs Without Losing Work 4 Oct 2026 ](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles/laravel-queue-rate-limited-middleware-throttling-jobs-without-losing-work) Have a technical challenge? ---------------------------- Tell me what you’re building. I reply within two working days. [Discuss your project ↗](https://www.msaied.com/public#contact) © 2026 Mohamed Said · Built with Laravel, meant to last.Senior Backend Engineer specializing in Laravel, scalable SaaS platforms, APIs, and cloud infrastructure. I build secure, high-performance web applications that help businesses grow. - [Home](https://www.msaied.com/public) - [Articles](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles) - [Certificates](https://www.msaied.com/public/certificates) - [GitHub](https://github.com/EG-Mohamed) - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/msaiedm/) - [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/201094619204) - [Email Address](mailto:hello@msaied.com) - [My CV](https://drive.google.com/file/u/0/d/1MF20IPRJyzfy32mhEutjL5EpSls0w2Q8/view) - [Sitemap](https://www.msaied.com/public/sitemap.xml)