> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kawax.biz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Eloquent collections

> Use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Collection methods, including toQuery and custom collections, when working with sets of Eloquent models.

## Introduction

When Eloquent returns more than one model, you receive an `Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Collection`.\
It extends `Illuminate\Support\Collection`, so you inherit the full base collection API plus model-specific helpers.

```mermaid theme={null}
classDiagram
    class "Illuminate\\Support\\Collection" as SupportCollection
    class "Illuminate\\Database\\Eloquent\\Collection" as EloquentCollection
    SupportCollection <|-- EloquentCollection
```

```php theme={null}
use App\Models\User;

$users = User::where('active', 1)->get();

foreach ($users as $user) {
    echo $user->name;
}
```

Review [Collections](/en/collections) and [Eloquent ORM](/en/eloquent) first if you want a quick refresher on the base behavior.

## Available methods

`Eloquent\Collection` inherits all base collection methods and adds model-focused methods.

### `append` / `withoutAppends` / `setAppends`

Control appended attributes for every model in the collection.

```php theme={null}
$users->append('team');
$users->append(['team', 'is_admin']);

$users = $users->withoutAppends();
$users = $users->setAppends(['is_admin']);
```

### `contains` / `diff` / `except` / `intersect` / `only`

Check membership and perform set operations using model instances or primary keys.

```php theme={null}
use App\Models\User;

$users->contains(1);
$users->contains(User::find(1));

$subset = User::whereIn('id', [1, 2, 3])->get();

$users->diff($subset);
$users->intersect($subset);

$users->except([1, 2, 3]);
$users->only([1, 2, 3]);
```

### `find` / `findOrFail`

Find already-loaded models by primary key.

```php theme={null}
$users = User::all();

$user = $users->find(1);
$user = $users->findOrFail(1);
```

### `fresh`

Re-fetch each model in the collection from the database, optionally eager loading relations.

```php theme={null}
$users = $users->fresh();
$users = $users->fresh('comments');
```

### `load` / `loadMissing`

Eager load relationships on a collection after retrieval.

```php theme={null}
$users->load(['comments', 'posts']);
$users->load('comments.author');
$users->load(['comments', 'posts' => fn ($query) => $query->where('active', 1)]);

$users->loadMissing(['comments', 'posts']);
$users->loadMissing('comments.author');
$users->loadMissing(['comments', 'posts' => fn ($query) => $query->where('active', 1)]);
```

### `modelKeys`

Get the primary keys for all models in the collection.

```php theme={null}
$users->modelKeys();
// [1, 2, 3, ...]
```

### `makeVisible` / `makeHidden` / `mergeVisible` / `mergeHidden` / `setVisible` / `setHidden`

Adjust attribute visibility for serialization across the entire model collection.

```php theme={null}
$users = $users->makeVisible(['address', 'phone_number']);
$users = $users->makeHidden(['address', 'phone_number']);

$users = $users->mergeVisible(['middle_name']);
$users = $users->mergeHidden(['last_login_at']);

$users = $users->setVisible(['id', 'name']);
$users = $users->setHidden(['email', 'password', 'remember_token']);
```

### `partition`

Split models into two `Eloquent\Collection` instances; the outer container is an `Illuminate\Support\Collection`.

```php theme={null}
$partition = $users->partition(fn ($user) => $user->age > 18);

dump($partition::class);    // Illuminate\Support\Collection
dump($partition[0]::class); // Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Collection
dump($partition[1]::class); // Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Collection
```

### `toQuery`

Build a `whereIn` query from already-loaded model keys and perform one bulk operation.

```php theme={null}
use App\Models\User;

// Retrieve target users first
$vipUsers = User::where('status', 'VIP')->get();

// Run one bulk update for only those model keys
$vipUsers->toQuery()->update([
    'status' => 'Administrator',
]);
```

<Tip>
  `toQuery()` is a practical bridge between in-memory selection and efficient bulk SQL updates.
</Tip>

### `unique`

Remove duplicated models that share the same primary key.

```php theme={null}
$users = $users->unique();
```

## Eloquent-to-base collection conversion

`collapse`, `flatten`, `flip`, `keys`, `pluck`, and `zip` return an `Illuminate\Support\Collection`.\
Likewise, `map` returns a base collection when the mapped result no longer contains Eloquent models.

## Custom collections

If you want model-specific collection behavior, prefer the `#[CollectedBy]` attribute first.

### `#[CollectedBy]` attribute (preferred)

```php theme={null}
<?php

namespace App\Models;

use App\Support\UserCollection;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Attributes\CollectedBy;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;

#[CollectedBy(UserCollection::class)]
class User extends Model
{
    // ...
}
```

### `newCollection()` method (alternative)

```php theme={null}
<?php

namespace App\Models;

use App\Support\UserCollection;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Collection;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;

class User extends Model
{
    public function newCollection(array $models = []): Collection
    {
        $collection = new UserCollection($models);

        if (Model::isAutomaticallyEagerLoadingRelationships()) {
            $collection->withRelationshipAutoloading();
        }

        return $collection;
    }
}
```

Once you add `newCollection()` or `#[CollectedBy]`, Eloquent returns your custom collection wherever it would normally return `Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Collection`.

## Related pages

<Card title="Collections" icon="list" href="/en/collections">
  Review `Illuminate\\Support\\Collection` fundamentals.
</Card>

<Card title="Eloquent ORM" icon="database" href="/en/eloquent">
  Revisit Eloquent model and query basics.
</Card>