Many people who are passionate about Laravel are currently talking about Performance Optimization, as this well-known PHP framework has a significant presence in the web development industry. Thanks to its impressive backend development features, Laravel has become one of the most favored web development frameworks in 2023.

With the use of the MVC architecture, a vast array of libraries, and numerous features, Laravel enables quick application development. Its simplified approach to web development results in reduced project expenses and a more user-friendly experience.

Additionally, it is feasible to optimize an already existing Laravel app to enhance its functionality, speed, and overall performance. These improvements can result in better website visibility, more visitor engagement, a wider customer base, and, ultimately, increased revenue.

Why Should Businesses Prioritize Laravel Performance Optimization?

In order for a business to function properly, it requires software that can bring together various operational aspects and produce results that are focused on achieving particular outcomes. Whether it be customers, partners or guests, every person who accesses a website or portal should receive accurate and targeted responses.

The main focus is to efficiently manage information, which in turn leads to better decision-making and promotes the growth of the company.

The well-structured architecture and comprehensive libraries of Laravel make it a great option for developing applications that align with various business objectives. It also minimizes the additional workload for developers. This makes it an ideal choice for creating enterprise-level corporate websites and applications.

Web applications are crucial for business success, and Laravel has a variety of features that can help create precise and impactful ones.

How Laravel Performance Optimization Works?

If your Laravel website has been slowing down and losing search engine rankings, it's crucial to make some improvements. To attract more online traffic, you need to enhance its speed, engagement potential, functionality, and other aspects. This will help your website perform better and achieve higher rankings.

Prerequisites for Laravel Optimization

Now that we've weighed the benefits, we can move on to the task and begin the actual work. To do this, you'll need the following items.

  • A Laravel application hosted on a web server
  • Preferably Laravel 10 version
  • PHP 8.0
  • MariaDB

Make sure to use a hosting service that is efficient to avoid any server-related issues that may arise.

Top 13 Laravel App Optimization Tips

1) Route caching

Utilizing the php artisan route cache in your Laravel application is crucial for optimizing the performance of your PHP app, particularly when dealing with numerous routes and configurations. This functionality greatly speeds up the process of enhancing your application.

To cache the routes.php file, please enter the following command:

php artisan route: cache

If you use closures in the artisan command, an exception is thrown. It is advisable to replace them with controllers when compiling the routes.

If you make changes to the routes.php file, it won't have the desired effect if it's already cached. To update the cached routes, it's best to run the code again. But if you want to completely remove the cached routes, it's recommended to execute the following code.

php artisan route: clear

2) Use Laravel Debugbar

This toolkit oversees the application's performance, ensuring its steady operation without actively enhancing it. Utilizing this toolkit during application development is strongly advised to maintain vigilant oversight of the system.

Here are several strategies to optimize Laravel applications. It's advisable to engage with the community and utilize forums for additional assistance and guidance.

3) Optimize Composer

A tool known as Composer is integral to Laravel as it effectively manages diverse dependencies. After installing Composer, it automatically loads development dependencies. While these dependencies expedite website development, their relevance diminishes post-launch. In fact, retaining them could potentially hinder the website's performance speed.

To prevent this, use the following command

composer install –prefer-dist –no-dev –o

The command excludes the dev dependencies when retrieving the package.

4) Leverage JIT Compiler

PHP is a server-side programming language designed for computers. It processes PHP code through compilation into bytecode, enabling the interpreter to understand and execute the instructions. This approach allows programmers to develop web applications effectively using PHP.

The compilation process of a program can impact the performance and user experience of a Laravel application. To enhance these aspects, Laravel developers have the option to leverage the Zend Engine, which features a just-in-time compiler. This compiler facilitates rapid and comprehensive code compilation, leading to improved efficiency in code execution.

5) Compress Images

Optimize the performance of your Laravel application development by compressing the numerous images it contains. Various methods exist for optimization, but different images necessitate distinct tools to preserve their quality and resolution.

When using Laravel Mix, consider utilizing an NPM package such as ImageMin during image compilation. If dealing with a particularly large image, it is recommended to first compress the image using TinyPNG before applying further compression with ImageMin to achieve maximum reduction.

6) Use Caching

Caching can significantly enhance your website's or application's speed by storing frequently accessed data in memory. Laravel offers an expressive and convenient method to configure caching for your applications. 

Redis and Memcached stand out as two popular caching backends that integrate effectively with Laravel.

7) Classmap Optimization

An effective technique for optimizing your Laravel application's loading speed and ensuring its streamlined structure involves consolidating all-inclusive files. By centralizing the inclusion of multiple files into a single common file, you can significantly enhance the app's compactness and readiness for seamless loading. This approach promotes efficient resource utilization and contributes to a more organized codebase.

This approach will optimize the performance of your Laravel application by consolidating multiple files into a single combined file for efficient loading within your application.

8) Optimize Your Database Queries

Laravel's Eloquent ORM simplifies the process of crafting efficient database queries. However, it remains crucial to ensure that your queries are appropriately optimized for your specific database engine's requirements.

Pay special attention to the use of the Eloquent "eager loading" feature, as it can frequently result in inefficient queries. Opting for lazy eager loading is typically a superior approach. Apart from this, stay vigilant about the SQL queries that your application is performing, ensuring their efficiency is maximized.

9) Static Assets and CDN

Developers can enhance their Laravel application's performance by loading static asset files from a CDN server. Cloudflare CDN, which stores visitor or customer information in the nearest location, can swiftly deliver this data. 

Therefore, ensure that you describe your static assets such as JS, CSS, HTML, etc. on the Cloudflare CDN.

10) Minifying the assets

Minifying the CSS file significantly decreases browser download times, leading to improved overall loading speeds and enhanced website performance. To achieve this, utilize the subsequent command

$ npm run production

11) Use the latest version of PHP

Naturally, utilizing the most up-to-date version is crucial as it encompasses a comprehensive array of performance-enhancing attributes. 

Ensuring that your application is operational on the most recent iteration can undeniably yield significant benefits. At present, Laravel 10 stands as the latest culmination of versions, embodying numerous improvements.

12) JIT Compiler

The performance of PHP code can be impacted during the conversion to bytecode. This transformation is facilitated by the Zend engine, which operates on various C subroutines. 

Unfortunately, this process is reiterated each time the application is executed, despite the expectation that it should ideally occur only once. To address this concern, developers have turned to Just-In-Time (JIT) compilers. Among these, HHVM stands out as a prominent JIT compiler that aligns well with Laravel.

13) Eager Loading

One frequently encountered challenge when working with eloquent relationships involves the N+1 query problem. To better illustrate this scenario, consider two distinct models: one for flats and another for their respective owners.

If you wish to retrieve their owners, you need to execute the following code:

I can assist you in executing a query to retrieve all the flats from the database, and I can also help you formulate another query to identify the owners. Let's proceed with the scenario: there are 100 flats, and this loop necessitates 101 queries - one for each flat, along with an additional query to determine the respective owner of each flat.

Does it sound common due to our utilization of a small database? However, envision a vast dataset and queries to grasp the true picture.

To overcome this problem, we prefer using eager loading.

$flats = App\Flat::with('owner')->get();

    foreach ($flats as $flat) {

      echo $flat->owner->name;

  }

You can reduce the operation to just two queries by executing the above code.

Prepared to Enhance Your Laravel Application Performance.

Get in touch with the top Laravel Development Company for creating applications that are scalable, efficient, and user-friendly.

Benefits of Laravel Performance Optimization

1) Cuts down the development time and cost: By incorporating distinct elements, programmers can diminish the duration needed to create an entire application from the ground up. This approach significantly economizes the substantial time and financial resources typically expended on constructing an entirely novel application.

2) Growth in the business: An effective application enhances the interaction between visitors and customers, leading to improved engagement. This heightened engagement subsequently boosts the potential for sales, thereby increasing revenue. Therefore, when aiming to elevate your business, consider the optimization of your website or application.

3) Better traffic management: A finely-tuned website possesses the capability to effectively manage high volumes of traffic. Enhancing the Laravel queue system empowers developers to accommodate substantial inflows of visitors. Consequently, this can lead to heightened visitor interaction, potentially translating into increased customer acquisition.

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The Final Words

We believe that this article can provide helpful insights. If you manage a Laravel application and want to optimize it, you may want to consider implementing some or all of the following recommendations to improve its performance.

Looking for help in building and improving your applications? Look no further than iCreatewebtech, a leading company in Laravel development. Our expert team of Laravel developers are highly skilled and can provide you with the assistance you need. Don't hesitate to reach out to us for help today.