ClickHouse Laravel

A Laravel database driver for ClickHouse over the native TCP protocol. It uses ext-pdo_clickhouse and ext-clickhouse, so Laravel's query builder, Eloquent, query logging, bindings, and schema builder run without an HTTP or cURL transport.

Requirements

• PHP 8.2+
• Laravel 12 or 13
• ext-clickhouse 1.2.0+
• ext-pdo_clickhouse 1.2.0+
• ClickHouse 26.3+ recommended; CI exercises ClickHouse 26.3 and 26.6

The default native TCP port is 9000. TLS endpoints, including ClickHouse Cloud, commonly use port 9440.

Installation

Install the two native extensions first. They are available as PIE-compatible packages:

pie install lucasacoutinho/ext-clickhouse
pie install lucasacoutinho/ext-clickhouse-pdo

Then install the Laravel integration:

composer require lucasacoutinho/clickhouse-laravel

Laravel discovers ClickHouseServiceProvider automatically. Publish the package configuration:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=clickhouse-config

The package registers the configured clickhouse connection when the application has not already defined a connection with that name. An explicit entry in config/database.php takes precedence.

Configuration

The published config/clickhouse.php reads these environment variables:

CLICKHOUSE_CONNECTION=clickhouse
CLICKHOUSE_HOST=127.0.0.1
CLICKHOUSE_PORT=9000
CLICKHOUSE_DATABASE=default
CLICKHOUSE_USERNAME=default
CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD=
CLICKHOUSE_COMPRESSION=lz4
CLICKHOUSE_TIMEOUT=5
CLICKHOUSE_PERSISTENT=false

CLICKHOUSE_SSL=false
CLICKHOUSE_SSL_SKIP_VERIFY=false
CLICKHOUSE_SSL_CA_PATH=
CLICKHOUSE_SSL_CA_FILE=
CLICKHOUSE_SSL_CLIENT_CERT=
CLICKHOUSE_SSL_CLIENT_KEY=

CLICKHOUSE_RETRIES=0
CLICKHOUSE_RETRY_BACKOFF_MS=100
CLICKHOUSE_RETRY_WRITES=false
CLICKHOUSE_LIGHTWEIGHT_DELETES=false
CLICKHOUSE_TRANSACTIONS=throw

compression accepts lz4, zstd, none, or a blank value. Numeric PDO attributes can be supplied through options; the connector always enables exception mode.

TLS and mutual TLS

'ssl' => true,
'ssl_ca_file' => '/run/secrets/clickhouse-ca.pem',
'ssl_client_cert' => '/run/secrets/client.crt',
'ssl_client_key' => '/run/secrets/client.key',

Providing a CA file/path, client credentials, or ssl_skip_verify=true enables TLS automatically. Client certificate and key must be configured together. Avoid ssl_skip_verify outside local development.

Connection settings

Server settings are applied once to every native PDO connection:

'settings' => [
    'max_threads' => 4,
    'max_memory_usage' => 10_000_000_000,
],

'query' => [
    'final' => false,
],

Query builder

Standard Laravel query-builder methods remain available. ClickHouse-specific clauses preserve Laravel bindings in the same order as the generated SQL:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;

$rows = DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('events', final: true)
    ->select('user_id', 'path')
    ->selectRaw('count() AS views')
    ->sample(0.1, 0.5)
    ->preWhere('occurred_on', '>=', '2026-01-01')
    ->where('site_id', 42)
    ->arrayJoin('tags', 'tag')
    ->groupBy('user_id', 'path')
    ->orderBy('views', 'desc')
    ->limitBy(3, ['user_id', 'path'])
    ->limit(1000)
    ->settings('max_threads', 8)
    ->get();

Supported extensions include:

• final() and table('events', final: true)
• fractional or absolute sample() values, with optional fractional offsets
• preWhere(), raw, IN, BETWEEN, and null predicate variants
• arrayJoin() and leftArrayJoin()
• limitBy() with variadic columns or an array
• ClickHouse ANY / ALL and GLOBAL joins
• scalar and subquery CTEs, including multiple and recursive CTEs
• GLOBAL IN, GLOBAL NOT IN, empty(), and not empty() predicates
• explicit UNION, INTERSECT, and EXCEPT ALL/DISTINCT operations
• withFill(), withFillTime(), and interpolate()
• fromRemote() and fromMerge()
• format()
• per-query settings() as an array or key/value pair
• onCluster() for mutations

Identifiers, settings, format names, and convenience expressions are validated or quoted. Methods ending in Raw, Laravel DB::raw(), and schema expressions are explicit trust boundaries; never concatenate untrusted input into them.

PREWHERE

DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('events')
    ->preWhere('occurred_on', '>=', '2026-01-01')
    ->preWhereIn('status', [1, 2, 3])
    ->preWhereBetween('score', [0.5, 1.0])
    ->preWhereNotNull('user_id')
    ->orPreWhereRaw('is_test = ?', [0])
    ->where('user_id', 42)
    ->get();

The complete predicate family includes orPreWhere(), preWhereRaw(), orPreWhereRaw(), preWhereNotIn(), preWhereNotBetween(), preWhereNull(), and preWhereNotNull(). Raw expressions are trusted SQL; use bindings for their values. PREWHERE is intentionally unavailable on UPDATE/DELETE mutations.

ClickHouse joins

// USING
$rows = DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('events')
    ->anyLeftJoin('users', 'user_id')
    ->get();

// ON
$rows = DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('events')
    ->anyLeftJoin(
        'users',
        on: [['events.user_id', '=', 'users.id']],
    )
    ->get();

// A subquery requires an explicit alias.
$activeUsers = DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('users')
    ->select('id')
    ->where('active', true);

$rows = DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('events')
    ->anyInnerJoin($activeUsers, 'id', alias: 'active_users')
    ->get();

CTEs, predicates, and set operations

Scalar expressions are bound as values. Query builders and closures compile as subquery CTEs:

$activeUsers = DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('users')
    ->select('id')
    ->where('active', true);

$rows = DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('events')
    ->withQuery(100, 'minimum_score')
    ->withQuerySub($activeUsers, 'active_users')
    ->whereRaw('score >= minimum_score')
    ->whereGlobalIn(
        'user_id',
        DB::connection('clickhouse')->table('active_users')->select('id'),
    )
    ->whereNotEmpty('tags')
    ->get();

withQuery() accepts a bound scalar or a query builder. withQueryRaw() is the explicit trusted-SQL form, and withQueryRecursive() / withRecursiveQuery() compile recursive subquery CTEs. Multiple calls accumulate instead of replacing an earlier CTE.

The predicate families include whereGlobalIn(), whereGlobalNotIn(), their orWhere... variants, whereEmpty(), whereNotEmpty(), havingEmpty(), and their OR / NOT variants. Empty GLOBAL IN and GLOBAL NOT IN sets compile to false and true predicates respectively.

Set operations use explicit ClickHouse semantics:

$current = DB::connection('clickhouse')->table('events')->select('user_id');
$archive = DB::connection('clickhouse')->table('events_archive')->select('user_id');

$users = $current
    ->unionDistinct($archive)
    ->intersect($allowedUsers) // INTERSECT DISTINCT
    ->exceptAll($blockedUsers)
    ->orderBy('user_id')
    ->get();

Available methods are unionDistinct(), intersect(), intersectAll(), intersectDistinct(), except(), exceptAll(), and exceptDistinct(). Laravel's union() compiles as UNION DISTINCT so behavior does not depend on the server's union_default_mode setting.

Time-series gap filling

DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('metrics')
    ->selectRaw('toStartOfMinute(ts) AS bucket, count() AS count')
    ->groupByRaw('bucket')
    ->orderBy('bucket')
    ->withFillTime(
        '2026-01-01 00:00:00',
        '2026-01-02 00:00:00',
        '5 minute',
        precision: 3,
    )
    ->interpolate('count')
    ->get();

For expressions, make the trust boundary explicit:

->withFill(
    from: DB::raw("toDateTime64('2026-01-01', 3)"),
    to: DB::raw("toDateTime64('2026-01-02', 3)"),
    step: DB::raw('toIntervalMinute(5)'),
)

Inserts and native values

use ClickHouse\Laravel\Support\ClickHouseValue;

DB::connection('clickhouse')->table('events')->insert([
    [
        'id' => 1,
        'tags' => ClickHouseValue::array(['web', 'paid']),
        'attributes' => ClickHouseValue::map(['country' => 'BR']),
        'coordinates' => ClickHouseValue::tuple(-23.55, -46.63),
        'payload' => ClickHouseValue::json(['source' => 'landing-page']),
    ],
]);

PDO has no native PHP array parameter type, so ClickHouseValue produces escaped ClickHouse literals for Array, Map, and Tuple columns and JSON text for native JSON columns.

For large batches:

DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('events')
    ->insertChunked($rows, 50_000);

For asynchronous inserts:

DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('events')
    ->async(wait: true)
    ->insert($rows);

Mutations

ClickHouse UPDATE and DELETE operations are mutations and are asynchronous by default. Use mutationsSync() when the next operation depends on completion:

DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('events')
    ->where('id', 42)
    ->mutationsSync()
    ->update(['status' => 'archived']);

UPDATE and DELETE require a WHERE clause and reject clauses that ClickHouse mutations cannot honor. Use whereRaw('1') for an intentional full-table mutation, or truncate() when the intent is to remove every row.

Classic and lightweight deletes are both available:

// Lightweight DELETE FROM; useful for small, frequent deletes.
DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('events')
    ->where('id', 42)
    ->mutationsSync()
    ->deleteLightweight();

// Classic ALTER TABLE ... DELETE, scoped to a partition.
DB::connection('clickhouse')
    ->table('events')
    ->where('tenant_id', 7)
    ->mutationsSync()
    ->deleteMutation('2026-07');

delete() uses classic mutation semantics by default. Set CLICKHOUSE_LIGHTWEIGHT_DELETES=true to make it use lightweight deletes, or choose explicitly with deleteLightweight() / deleteMutation(). Each method accepts an optional partition value. Eloquent exposes the same helpers; ordinary Eloquent delete() continues through Laravel's delete callbacks, while explicit ClickHouse delete options perform a physical delete.

FORMAT

format('JSONEachRow') emits a native ClickHouse FORMAT clause. The PDO driver still exposes the result as normal PDO rows; this is not an HTTP response-body serializer.

Eloquent

use ClickHouse\Laravel\Eloquent\Model;

final class Event extends Model
{
    protected $table = 'events';

    protected $fillable = ['id', 'user_id', 'event', 'payload'];

    protected $casts = [
        'user_id' => 'integer',
    ];
}

The conventional Model name and the original ClickHouseModel name refer to the same base behavior. It selects the clickhouse connection, disables incrementing IDs and Laravel's built-in timestamps, and retains Laravel's guarded mass-assignment default. Define $fillable or $guarded on every concrete model.

For created_at and updated_at values managed by the application:

use ClickHouse\Laravel\Concerns\HasClickHouseTimestamps;
use ClickHouse\Laravel\Eloquent\Model;

final class Event extends Model
{
    use HasClickHouseTimestamps;
}

The trait sets both timestamps on create and refreshes updated_at on every save, which is useful with ReplacingMergeTree(updated_at).

Parallel queries

Parallel::get() accepts keyed query-builder and Eloquent selects and returns keyed Laravel collections:

use ClickHouse\Laravel\Parallel;

$results = Parallel::get([
    'recent' => Event::query()->where('occurred_at', '>=', now()->subHour()),
    'errors' => DB::connection('clickhouse')
        ->table('events')
        ->where('level', 'error'),
]);

$recentEvents = $results['recent']; // Eloquent collection
$errorRows = $results['errors'];    // Support collection

The default Laravel concurrency driver starts isolated child PHP processes. Only the connection name, compiled SQL, and bindings cross the process boundary; PDO objects are never serialized, and every worker opens its own native connection. A Laravel driver name can be selected with Parallel::get($queries, driver: 'fork'). Use Laravel's sync concurrency driver in tests when parallel execution is not under test: Parallel::get($queries, driver: 'sync').

Parallel execution is intended for independent SELECT queries. Eager loading and registered after-query callbacks are applied after each result is hydrated.

Schema builder

use ClickHouse\Laravel\Schema\ClickHouseBlueprint;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;

Schema::connection('clickhouse')->create(
    'events',
    function (ClickHouseBlueprint $table) {
        $table->uint64('id')->codec('ZSTD(3)');
        $table->boolean('active');
        $table->json('payload'); // JSON text in a PDO-safe String column
        $table->date32('historical_day');
        $table->dateTime64('occurred_at', 6);
        $table->time64('local_time', 3);
        $table->array('tags', 'String');
        $table->mapOf('attributes', 'String', 'String');
        $table->string('country')->nullable()->lowCardinality();

        $table->engine('MergeTree()');
        $table->partitionBy('toYYYYMM(occurred_at)');
        $table->primaryKey(['id']);
        $table->orderBy(['id', 'occurred_at']);
        $table->sampleBy('id');
        $table->ttl('occurred_at + INTERVAL 90 DAY');
        $table->setting('index_granularity', 8192);
        $table->tableComment('Analytics events');
    },
);

Native helpers include signed and unsigned integers up to 128 bits, Float32, Float64, Decimal, Bool, String, FixedString, LowCardinality, Date, Date32, DateTime, DateTime64, Time, Time64, UUID, IPv4, IPv6, Enum8, Array, Map, and Tuple. Laravel's json() and jsonb() map to String so JSON round-trips through PDO reliably.

nativeJson() is available when ClickHouse's native JSON type is required. The released PDO extension cannot decode Dynamic values directly, so cast native JSON results to a supported scalar type, for example toJSONString(payload) or toString(payload.source).

Use clickhouseType() for another trusted type expression not covered by a helper.

ALTER helpers include:

Schema::connection('clickhouse')->table('events', function (ClickHouseBlueprint $table) {
    $table->renameColumn('country', 'country_code');
    $table->lowCardinalityString('country_code')->change();
    $table->skipIndex('idx_status', 'status', 'set(100)', granularity: 2);
    $table->projection(
        'events_by_user',
        'SELECT user_id, count() GROUP BY user_id',
    );
});

ClickHouse column definitions expose typed fluent codec(), ttl(), materialized(), alias(), ephemeral(), and lowCardinality() modifiers alongside Laravel's standard column modifiers. array() is the concise alias of arrayOf(), while orderBy() and primaryKey() accept either arrays or variadic columns. Table DDL and ALTER operations support onCluster().

Migrations

Normal Laravel migration commands can target ClickHouse:

php artisan migrate --database=clickhouse
php artisan migrate:status --database=clickhouse
php artisan migrate:rollback --database=clickhouse

The package replaces Laravel's migration repository with a compatible repository before it is first resolved. On ClickHouse, the repository table uses MergeTree() and orders by batch and migration name; other database connections retain Laravel's normal repository behavior. Removing a migration log entry waits for the ClickHouse mutation so a subsequent migration command sees consistent state.

Migration up() and down() methods should use Schema::connection('clickhouse'). ClickHouse has no transactional migration rollback, so write reversible down() methods and avoid assuming DDL atomicity.

Cluster failover and retries

'cluster' => [
    ['host' => 'clickhouse-01', 'port' => 9000],
    ['host' => 'clickhouse-02', 'port' => 9000],
],
'retries' => 2,
'retry_backoff_ms' => 100,
'retry_writes' => false,

Nodes are attempted sequentially. Both reads and writes use the active endpoint once; the package does not fan writes out to every host. Put replication in ClickHouse with ReplicatedMergeTree and/or Distributed tables.

After a lost connection, read-only statements can be retried with exponential backoff. Writes are not replayed by default because the server may have committed them before the connection failed. retry_writes=true is an explicit at-least-once tradeoff and requires idempotent writes or deduplication. Raw statements beginning with WITH are not automatically retried because a CTE can precede an INSERT; opt in to write retries only with those delivery semantics in mind.

Transactions

ClickHouse does not provide Laravel transaction semantics. Transaction methods therefore throw TransactionsNotSupportedException by default:

DB::connection('clickhouse')->transaction(fn () => doWork());
// Throws: the callback was not run.

Legacy shared code can explicitly opt into non-transactional passthrough:

'transactions' => 'passthrough',

Passthrough only runs the callback. It does not provide BEGIN, COMMIT, rollback, or atomicity.

Performance

The package uses ClickHouse's native TCP protocol through pdo_clickhouse. A reproducible Docker microbenchmark compares that path with laravel-clickhouse/laravel-clickhouse's default Guzzle HTTP transport across connection, point-query, aggregate, result-materialization, and insert workloads.

See benchmarks/README.md for the methodology, measured reference result, caveats, and the one-command runner.

Development

composer validate --strict
composer format:check
composer analyse
composer test:unit
composer test:integration

composer analyse runs PHPStan at level max and Psalm at error level 1. Both analyze src/ without a generated baseline; the only suppressions are documented compatibility or framework-boundary cases.

Integration tests expect native ClickHouse instances on 127.0.0.1:9000 and 127.0.0.1:9001. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the complete workflow. Maintainers should use the gated process in RELEASING.md for tagged releases.

License

MIT