---
title: "Configuration — Attributes for Laravel | Roundly"
description: "Every config key and its default — model, table, owner key type, strict mode, pruning, owner deletion, history and attribute definitions."
url: https://roundly-consulting.com/open-source/docs/attributes-for-laravel/configuration
language: en
---

[All packages](https://roundly-consulting.com/open-source.md)

[Attributes for Laravel](https://roundly-consulting.com/open-source/docs/attributes-for-laravel.md)

# Configuration

The published config/attributes.php in full, with the definition examples commented out:

```php
return [
    'model' => RoundlyConsulting\Attributes\Models\Attribute::class,
    'table' => 'attributes',
    'key_type' => env('ATTRIBUTES_KEY_TYPE', 'bigint'),
    'strict' => env('ATTRIBUTES_STRICT', false),
    'prune_after_days' => env('ATTRIBUTES_PRUNE_AFTER_DAYS', 30),
    'delete_with_owner' => env('ATTRIBUTES_DELETE_WITH_OWNER', true),
    'history' => [
        'enabled' => env('ATTRIBUTES_HISTORY', false),
        'table' => 'attribute_revisions',
    ],
    'definitions' => [
        // 'rating'  => ['type' => 'integer', 'rules' => ['min:1', 'max:5'], 'required' => true],
        // 'sku'     => ['type' => 'string', 'unique' => 'global'],
        // 'token'   => ['type' => 'string', 'encrypted' => true],
        // 'retries' => ['type' => 'integer', 'default' => 3],
    ],
];
```

## Every key

| Key | Default | Env | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `model` | Attribute::class | — | Eloquent model that stores attributes. Must be the packaged Attribute model or a subclass of it; anything else throws. |
| `table` | attributes | — | Table used by the migration and the model. A blank value is not set and uses the default; a non-string value throws. |
| `key_type` | bigint | ATTRIBUTES\_KEY\_TYPE | Owner key type for the morph columns: bigint, uuid or ulid (case-insensitive; anything else throws InvalidConfigurationException when the migrations run). Read when the migrations run. |
| `strict` | false | ATTRIBUTES\_STRICT | Reject writes — a value or its meta — to names with neither a global nor a model-schema definition (UnknownAttributeException). |
| `prune_after_days` | 30 | ATTRIBUTES\_PRUNE\_AFTER\_DAYS | Default age in days for attributes:prune. A whole number, 0 or more (0 purges every trashed attribute); blank (ATTRIBUTES\_PRUNE\_AFTER\_DAYS=) is not set and gives 30; anything else throws. |
| `delete_with_owner` | true | ATTRIBUTES\_DELETE\_WITH\_OWNER | Deleting an owner for good — a model without SoftDeletes, or forceDelete() — removes its attribute rows and frees its unique values; a soft delete keeps them. Revisions are kept either way. See Removing & syncing. |
| `history.enabled` | false | ATTRIBUTES\_HISTORY | Record an old→new revision on every attach, update, meta change and detach. |
| `history.table` | attribute\_revisions | — | Table for the audit trail. A blank value is not set and uses the default; a non-string value throws. |
| `definitions` | \[\] | — | Registry seed, keyed by attribute name; each entry is an array. Loaded once at boot. |

## Definition keys

Each entry under definitions is keyed by attribute name and accepts these keys:

| Definition key | Type | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `type` | string | string, integer, float, boolean, array or datetime (or the AttributeType case) — values are validated against it and stored in it ('5' becomes 5 for integer). Unset or blank means string; anything else throws. |
| `rules` | array | Extra Laravel validation rules, applied after the type’s own rule. Must be an array (\['min:1', 'max:5'\]); a pipe string throws. |
| `required` | bool | Enforced by $model->validateAttributes(). Read like the boolean env values; anything else throws. |
| `default` | mixed | Returned by reads when the attribute is not attached. Never persisted. |
| `unique` | string / bool | owner or true (per owner type), global (across every owner), none or false (unset or blank also means none); anything else throws instead of switching uniqueness off. Backed by a database unique index — encrypted values included. |
| `encrypted` | bool | Stores the value as Crypt ciphertext at rest. Read like the boolean env values; anything else throws. |

```php
// config/attributes.php
'definitions' => [
    'rating'  => ['type' => 'integer', 'rules' => ['min:1', 'max:5'], 'required' => true],
    'sku'     => ['type' => 'string', 'unique' => 'global'],
    'token'   => ['type' => 'string', 'encrypted' => true],
    'retries' => ['type' => 'integer', 'default' => 3],
],
```

Config definitions are loaded into the registry once, when the app boots; an invalid entry throws InvalidConfigurationException at boot, naming attributes.definitions.<name>.<key>. You can also register definitions in code or declare them per model — see Definitions & validation and Per-model schemas.

## Environment

The deployment-sensitive keys are env-backed:

```bash
# bigint | uuid | ulid — set before you run the migrations
ATTRIBUTES_KEY_TYPE=bigint

# reject attribute names that are not registered
ATTRIBUTES_STRICT=false

# default age (days) for attributes:prune
ATTRIBUTES_PRUNE_AFTER_DAYS=30

# remove an owner's attributes when the owner is deleted for good
ATTRIBUTES_DELETE_WITH_OWNER=true

# record an old -> new revision on every change
ATTRIBUTES_HISTORY=false
```

The boolean env values accept true/false, 1/0, on/off and yes/no. Every setting is read strictly: a key that is not set — absent, null or blank (a host’s KEY=) — takes its default, and any other invalid value throws InvalidConfigurationException naming the key — it never falls back silently.

Check the resolved values at any time with Laravel’s about command. Definitions are reported by count only, never by name — an attribute name often names the very secret the encrypted flag protects:

```bash
php artisan about --only=attributes
```

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