Select Last Row in the Table

I would like to retrieve the last file inserted into my table. I know that the method first() exists and provides you with the first file in the table but I don't know how to get the last insert.

You'll need to order by the same field you're ordering by now, but descending. As an example, if you have a time stamp when the upload was done called upload_time, you'd do something like this;

For Pre-Laravel 4

return DB::table('files')->order_by('upload_time', 'desc')->first();

For Laravel 4 and onwards

return DB::table('files')->orderBy('upload_time', 'desc')->first();

For Laravel 5.7 and onwards

return DB::table('files')->latest('upload_time')->first();

This will order the rows in the files table by upload time, descending order, and take the first one. This will be the latest uploaded file.

Use the latest scope provided by Laravel out of the box.

Model::latest()->first();

That way you're not retrieving all the records. A nicer shortcut to orderBy.