# Create

Create a new blank migration to fill in by hand.

### Syntax

```
$ vela migrate create <name>
```

```
$ vela migrate create backfill_slugs
```

The name is snake_case. A timestamped file is written to `migrations` with empty up and down handlers for you to write, then applied with [`vela migrate up`](/migrate/up).

`vela migrate new` is an alias. For a schema change to an existing collection, prefer [`vela generate migration`](/generate/migration), which writes the handlers for you — this command is for data migrations and anything else bespoke.