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Remove Column

You can remove columns from your DataTables response using the removeColumn API. This is useful for excluding sensitive or unnecessary data from the response.

Basic Usage

Remove a single column:

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    $model = User::query();
 
    return DataTables::eloquent($model)
        ->removeColumn('password')
        ->toJson();
});

Remove Multiple Columns

Chain multiple removes or pass an array:

return DataTables::eloquent($model)
    ->removeColumn('password')
    ->removeColumn('remember_token')
    ->toJson();

Or use multiple arguments:

return DataTables::eloquent($model)
    ->removeColumn('password', 'remember_token', 'api_token')
    ->toJson();

Common Use Cases

Remove Sensitive Data

return DataTables::eloquent($model)
    ->removeColumn('password')
    ->removeColumn('api_token')
    ->removeColumn('secret_question')
    ->removeColumn('secret_answer')
    ->toJson();

Remove Internal Fields

return DataTables::eloquent($model)
    ->removeColumn('deleted_at')
    ->removeColumn('created_by')
    ->removeColumn('updated_by')
    ->toJson();

Combine with AddColumn

return DataTables::eloquent($model)
    ->removeColumn('first_name')
    ->removeColumn('last_name')
    ->addColumn('full_name', function (User $user) {
        return $user->first_name . ' ' . $user->last_name;
    })
    ->toJson();

Alternative: Make Hidden

You can also use Laravel's makeHidden method on Eloquent models:

return DataTables::eloquent($model)
    ->makeHidden(['password', 'remember_token'])
    ->toJson();

💡 Tip: makeHidden is more performant as it happens at the model level before array conversion.

Column Visibility Comparison

Method	When Data is Removed	Use Case
`removeColumn`	During DataTables processing	Exclude from response only
`makeHidden`	During model serialization	Always exclude from JSON
`$hidden` property	On model serialization	Persistent model hiding

Laravel DataTables