Steps to Optimize Your Laravel Application for Performance

By Albert - On Dec 05, 2023

Laravel is a popular PHP framework used for building robust web applications. Its expressive syntax and modular architecture make rapid development a breeze. However, ensuring your Laravel app performs well under load requires additional planning and effort.

This comprehensive blog will explore these laravel optimization techniques to speed up Laravel applications. From caching and database improvements to queues and profiling, these performance-boosting steps apply regardless of your Laravel version or hosting environment. Optimizing these facets of your app will allow it to scale smoothly as the load increases over time.

Database Indexing

Adding proper indexes on your database tables can tremendously improve query response times by avoiding full table scans. As the adage goes, “A good index is worth a thousand table scans.”

Determine Slow Queries

First, identify queries that are slow and occurring frequently. Laravel provides insights into slow queries using the debug toolbar or logs. Alternatively, enable the slow query log in MySQL.

Reviewing slow logs reveals the worst-performing queries to target for optimization.

Add Indexes for Filtered Columns

If a query filters using a `WHERE` clause on an unindexed column, adding an index on that column significantly improves speed by reducing the rows examined.

For example, consider a `users` table with thousands of rows but no index. The query:

SELECT * FROM users WHERE name=‘John’;

Requires a full scan of every row to find matches, becoming exponentially slower as the table grows. Adding an index on `name` improves this:

ALTER TABLE users ADD INDEX name_idx (name);

The database can quickly look up by name rather than scanning every row.

Composite Indexes

When queries filter and sort on multiple columns, use a composite index:

Index for WHERE on (name, email) and ORDER BY created_at

ALTER TABLE users ADD INDEX ix_name_email_created (name, email, created_at);

This single index efficiently covers both filtering and sorting.

Run EXPLAIN

When optimizing queries, `EXPLAIN` shows how indexes are utilized:

EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM users WHERE email=‘[email protected]’

The key is ensuring the `possible_keys` and `key` fields show indexing at work.

Properly indexing your database tables based on query patterns is one of the most impactful Laravel optimizations. The payoff is reduced disk I/O and CPU usage on DB servers.

2. Caching

Implementing robust caching mechanisms is crucial for performance at scale in Laravel apps. By avoiding redundant DB queries or API requests, cached data serves responses much faster.

Laravel provides flexible caching approaches:

Route Cache

The route cache avoids rebuilding route definitions on each request. Since the routes don’t change frequently, route caching saves CPU cycles by persisting definitions in memory or on disk.

Cache routes in Laravel using:

php artisan route:cache

For large apps with many routes, the route cache can boost throughput noticeably.

View Caching

Laravel can cache rendered Blade views to skip rerendering unchanged output. Enable view caching in `config/view.php`:

‘cache’ => [

‘enabled’ => true,

Cache times default to one minute but can be customized.

Database Query Caching

Apps frequently rerun the same queries, like fetching popular content. Query caching avoids these roundtrips:

// Cache result for 1 hour
$users = Cache::remember(‘topusers’, now()>addHour(), function() {
return DB::table(‘users’)>orderBy(‘score’, ‘desc’)>take(10)>get();
});

Cache the slow queries determined previously that commonly repeat.

Cache Driver

The cache driver used impacts performance dramatically. Less performs better usually:

Redis – Fast and full featured.
Memcached – Fast but fewer capabilities.
Database – Convenient but much slower than Redis/Memcached.
Make sure to use Redis or Memcached for efficient caching.

Cache Key Management

Carefully name cache keys after the data being stored:

// Good
Cache::put(‘posts.recent.5’, …);
// Not ideal
Cache::put(‘recentposts5’, …);

Precise keys allow purging related entries on data changes using wildcards.

Set expiration times reasonably. Cache as long as data remains relatively fresh, but not excessively long.

Cache Stampede Protection

When cached data expires at the same time, concurrent requests to rebuild can overload the system. Avoid stampedes with Laravel features like lock and exponential backoff.

For example, acquire a lock before rebuilding:

if (Cache::lock(‘analytics_report’, 10)>get()) {
// Rebuild analytics report
}

This allows only one rebuild at a time, spreading requests. Caching intelligently smooths traffic spikes and boosts throughput. Prioritize caching slow queries, network requests, and frequent database reads.

3. Queue Workers

Offloading intensive work like sending emails onto queues unclogs the web processes. Otherwise, users wait idly as the request completes. Laravel queues with Redis/Beanstalkd/SQS allow fast background job processing. For example:

public function storeOrder($order)
{
// Process order payment
// Queue order receipt email
SendOrderEmail::dispatch($order)>onQueue(’emails’);
}

The `dispatch()` call quickly queues the job. A background worker will later send the full email using Mailgun/SendGrid/SES.

Queue Benefits

Queuing brings:

Better request times by avoiding delays
Retry failed jobs
Schedule jobs in future
Parallelize across workers
Monitor job throughput
Rate limit job processing

Any slow nonurgent tasks are great candidates for queues.

Optimize Jobs

Well architected jobs maximize performance:

Make jobs idempotent to allow retries on failure.
Categorize jobs by priority using multiple queues.
Time and log jobs for insight into bottlenecks.
Only fast if invalid data to save time.
Batch similar entries into single jobs when applicable.

Scale Workers

Provision adequate workers based on workload and monitor queue depths. Adapt worker counts to current volumes using autoscaling rules. For example, network calls generate higher load than database jobs. Plan worker allocations accordingly.

Laravel queues unleash processing potential by scaling background workers efficiently. They prevent users from waiting on compute-heavy operations.

4. Use Pagination

Rendering thousands of records on a page cripples performance. Pagination limits each page to digestible sets, typically 1525 results.

Paginate Queries

The Laravel `paginate()` method handles Pagination natively:

// Grab 15 posts per page
$posts = Post::orderBy(‘created_at’)>paginate(15);

Render Pagination Links

The paginator object renders pagination links in the Blade template:

{{ $posts>links() }}

This displays page buttons without extra queries.

Retrieve Only Needed Columns

Avoid selecting all columns when Pagination calls only display a subset.

For example, `Post::paginate()` retrieves every column even if only rendering titles. Use `select()` to limit columns queried:

Post::select(‘id’, ‘title’)>paginate();

This reduces database I/O and lightens network transfer.

Persist Paginator State

When paginating across multiple pages, reuse the paginator instance to avoid duplicating queries:

Route::get(‘/posts’, function (Illuminate\Pagination\Paginator $paginator) {
// Use $paginator state even across page loads
});

The paginator persists the necessary details like page number and query bindings.

Pagination prevents overloading users with results while enabling easy browsing at scale. Integrate Pagination for any nontrivial queries returning multiple rows.

5. HTTP Caching

HTTP caching reduces server processing by reusing cached page responses when possible.

Laravel supports multiple forms:

Browser Caching

Instruct clients to cache responses so unchanged content isn’t resent:

return response()>view(‘posts.index’)
>withHeaders([
‘CacheControl’ => ‘public, maxage=60’
]);

This caches the view for 60 seconds within the browser.

Cache Tags

When content changes, purge related cached pages using cache tags:

Cache::tags([‘frontpage’])>put(‘frontpagehtml’, $html, 30);
// Later
Cache::tags([‘frontpage’])>flush(); // Purges frontpagehtml cache

Grouping cached data by tags allows efficient purging.

ETags

ETag HTTP headers identify content versions. Browsers send ETags, and servers only resend pages if the ETag differs:

return response()
>view(‘post’)
>setEtag($post>updated_at)
>setData($post);

This avoids resending the same view if unchanged.

Reverse Proxy Caching

A reverse proxy like Varnish or Nginx collects the full page response. Configure proxy caching rules for optimal performance. When combined with CDNs, reverse proxies significantly speed up sites. Caching reduces workload and speeds up visits by reducing redundancy. Use caching wisely on CDNs, browsers, and frameworks like Laravel.

In addition to these optimization techniques, consider to hire Laravel developers to enhance the success of your project further. An experienced Laravel development team can effectively implement these caching and proxy techniques, ensuring that your application performs smoothly and is built and maintained with best practices. Laravel brings expertise to the table in the hiring process, allowing you to focus on the key aspects of your business while the development team tackles the complex technical issues

6. Optimize Assets

Unoptimized JavaScript, CSS, images, and fonts drag down performance. Rethink how asset delivery occurs:

Bundling

Concatenate multiple scripts and stylesheets into combined files. Avoid dozens of separate small assets requests:

<script src=“/js/app.js”></script>
<! Single bundled asset >

Laravel provides Elixir/Mix for simple compiling and minification.

Minification

Minify JavaScript, CSS, HTML, and SVGs to reduce their size, improving first byte latency:

// Unminified
function greet(){
console.log(‘Hello!’);
}
// Minified
function greet(){console.log(‘Hello!’);}

Use Laravel mix, YUI Compressor, and related tools for minification workflows.

Image Optimization

Resize, compress, and strip metadata from images to shrink filesize.

Laravel integrators like Spatie, Imgix, and Cloudinary simplify resizing and compression during upload.

Content Delivery Network

Serve assets from geographically dispersed CDNs to provide fast local downloads around the world. Generic assets can be CDN cached across sites. Combined with HTTP caching, CDNs accelerate static assets tremendously.

Caching Headers

Set far future CacheControl headers on assets allowing long browser caching:

CacheControl: public, maxage=31536000

This takes advantage of client side caching for unchanged assets.

Optimizing frontend assets and utilizing CDNs/caching speeds up perceived performance dramatically. Follow asset optimization best practices in any framework.

7. Profiling Performance

Optimizing performance without measuring avoids premature optimization and guesswork. Profile using tools like:

Debug Toolbar

The Laravel debug toolbar provides quick metrics on processing time, queries executed, cache hits, routes, errors, and more. Install this dev tool to understand request flows.

Timing Functions

Time segments of code using `microtime()` or Laravel helper functions like `timer()`:

$start = microtime(true);
// Profiled code here
$elapsed = microtime(true) $start;
Log::info(“Profiled code took {$elapsed} seconds”);

This quantifies exactly how long segments run, identifying the slowest parts.

Xdebug Profiling

Xdebug generates cProfile reports analyzing function calls during execution:

The overhead is low enough for production profiling.

Application Performance Monitoring

APM tools like NewRelic provide deep application performance insights like:
Pertransaction tracing showing each step
Call graphs of internal functions
Slow query and browser timing breakdowns
Web vitals like TTFB and throughput

While pricier, APMs provide enormous visibility into optimizations.

Profiles illuminate precisely what delays requests and where to concentrate efforts for maximum gains. Never guess about slow paths measure using tools.

In Summary

Optimizing your Laravel application for peak performance is a journey of continuous improvement. By profiling meticulously, caching strategically, optimizing autoloading, refining route handling, enhancing view rendering, scaling your database judiciously, and leveraging CDNs, you can create a high-performance Laravel application capable of delivering a seamless user experience.

In this guide, we’ve unraveled the intricacies of each step, providing you with actionable insights and practical tips. Remember, performance optimization is not a one-time task but an ongoing commitment to excellence. As you implement these strategies, keep an eye on new trends and technologies in the dynamic landscape of web development.

To further enhance your development capabilities, Take into account establishing Offshore Development Center (ODC) in India. An ODC can be a strategic move to access a pool of talented developers, streamline costs, and accelerate project delivery. By establishing an ODC, you create a dedicated and extended team that aligns with your goals, contributing to the ongoing success of your Laravel projects.

Now, armed with the knowledge from these seven steps and the potential benefits of setting up an Offshore Development Center, go forth and optimize your Laravel masterpiece to achieve unparalleled performance and exceed user expectations. Happy coding!