Hard-reset all Django migrations

hard_reset_django_migrations.md

Based on Scenario 2 from: https://simpleisbetterthancomplex.com/tutorial/2016/07/26/how-to-reset-migrations.html

Note: This is different to squashing migrations and a potential destructive operation if done wrong!

Preparation

On your local development machine, with the current database schema:

• Prepare a git branch

  git checkout -b reset-migrations
  

• Reset the migration history for the app(s)

  python manage.py migrate --fake my_app zero
  python manage.py migrate --fake my_other_app zero
  

• Delete all migration files from the app(s) you want to reset, but not the __init__.py and not the migrations/ folder itself:

  find . -path "my_app/migrations/*.py" -not -name "__init__.py" -delete
  find . -path "my_app/migrations/*.pyc"  -delete
  
  find . -path "my_other_app/migrations/*.py" -not -name "__init__.py" -delete
  find . -path "my_other_app/migrations/*.pyc"  -delete
  

• Create the new initial migration file(s)

  python manage.py makemigrations
  

• Commit all changes to the current reset-migrations branch

• Merge reset-migrations into main and git push

Deployment

Assuming you want to deploy your main branch in production.

• On your production server while on the main branch, but not yet having git pulled the latest changes, run these commands:

  python manage.py migrate --fake my_app zero
  python manage.py migrate --fake my_other_app zero
  
  git pull
  
  python manage.py migrate --fake-initial