Database migration is a normal, albeit crucial, task when working with Laravel applications. Database schema will be updated in this process; new columns might be added, indexes might be changed, and the table itself might be modified, all to accommodate new features or improvements in the baseline code. But database migration in a live production application is inadvisable since doing migrations can lead to application downtime, blocking tables, and possibly even worse data loss. 

So, can all well-experienced Laravel developers manage to upgrade the database while not interrupting the user experience? They do database migration without any downtime. In this article, we walk through the common roadblocks of database migration in Laravel, followed by the best practices and techniques implemented by developers to ensure smooth and zero-downtime migrations.