Laravel eloquent version change from 5.3 to 5.8. What are the differences and how to update?

Laravel Eloquent is an ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) tool that comes with Laravel, a popular PHP web framework. Eloquent provides an elegant and expressive way to interact with your database. When upgrading Laravel from version 5.3 to 5.8, you will also need to update Eloquent to the latest version. In this answer, I will outline the differences between Laravel Eloquent 5.3 and 5.8 and provide steps to update.

Differences between Laravel Eloquent 5.3 and 5.8:

Collection Macros: Laravel 5.8 introduces Collection Macros, which allow you to define custom methods on collections. This feature was previously available only in Laravel 5.5 and above.
Query Scopes: In Laravel 5.8, you can now define Query Scopes as methods on model classes, instead of static methods on the query builder. This change makes the code more readable and easier to understand.
Casting: Laravel 5.8 introduces a new way to cast attributes to specific types. Instead of using the $app->bind method, you can now define casting rules in the $casts property of your model.
Migration Changes: Laravel 5.8 introduces some changes to migrations, such as the ability to define constraints on columns and the ability to create indexes on columns.
Deprecated Features: Some features that were previously available in Laravel Eloquent have been deprecated, such as the get() method with an array of column names as an argument and the whereIn() method with an array of values as the second argument.

Steps to update Laravel Eloquent from 5.3 to 5.8:

Update Laravel: Before updating Eloquent, make sure you have updated Laravel to the latest version (5.8 at the time of writing). You can update Laravel by running the following command in your terminal:

composer global require laravel/installer
composer update

Update your models: If you have any custom methods or properties in your models, make sure they are compatible with Laravel 5.8. For example, if you have defined any query scopes as static methods on the query builder, you will need to move them to the model class.
Update your migrations: Laravel 5.8 introduces some changes to migrations. Make sure you are using the latest version of Laravel's migration package by running the following command:

composer require laravel/migrations

Update your database configuration: Laravel 5.8 introduces some changes to the database configuration file. Make sure you have updated the .env file with the correct database credentials and the config/database.php file with the correct database driver.
Update your Eloquent code: Make sure you are using the latest Eloquent methods and properties. For example, instead of using the get() method with an array of column names as an argument, you should use the pluck() method. Instead of using the whereIn() method with an array of values as the second argument, you should use the whereIn() method with a closure as the second argument.
Test your application: After updating Eloquent, make sure you test your application thoroughly to ensure that everything is working correctly.

In conclusion, upgrading Laravel Eloquent from 5.3 to 5.8 involves some changes to your Laravel application, including updating your models, migrations, and database configuration, as well as updating your Eloquent code to use the latest methods and properties. By following the steps outlined above, you should be able to upgrade Laravel Eloquent smoothly and without any issues.