Detecting slow database operations in Laravel 10

In this article, we will explore techniques for detecting and resolving slow database operations in Laravel 10, a popular PHP framework. Slow database operations can significantly impact the performance and efficiency of Laravel applications, leading to sluggish response times and decreased user experience. We will discuss various strategies and tools available in Laravel 10 to identify bottlenecks and optimize database performance. By implementing these techniques, developers can enhance the overall speed and responsiveness of their Laravel 10 applications, resulting in improved user satisfaction and productivity.

When you're working with databases in web applications, sometimes a query that used to be fast suddenly becomes slow in certain situations, and it's hard to predict when this will happen.

Let's say you're using a database called MySQL for your web application. Sometimes, if the indexing isn't set up correctly or if a table has a lot of data, certain queries can become really slow. It's important to know when this happens to your application, right? One way to check for slow queries is by using the slow query log, which helps identify queries that take a long time to execute.

The slow query log is a useful tool for finding slow queries, and it should be used. However, sometimes you just want to be notified when something goes wrong so you can quickly identify and fix the problem. That's where a new database utility in Laravel 10 can be really helpful.

To get started, you need to set up the DB::whenQueryingForLongerThan in the boot method of your application’s AppServiceProvider like so.

namespace App\Providers;

use Illuminate\Support\ServiceProvider;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
use Illuminate\Database\Connection;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Log;

class AppServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
{
    public function boot()
    {
        DB::whenQueryingForLongerThan(500, function (Connection $connection) {
            Log::warning("Database queries exceeded 5 seconds on {$connection->getName()}");

            // or notify the development team...
        });
    }
}

Once you set it up, the whenQueryingForLongerThan method will run a specific action if a database query takes more than 5 seconds during a request or job.

It's important to note that this method works on a per-connection basis, which means you'll receive detailed information about the specific connection that experienced the slowdown.

If you want to run a callback when a single query takes a long time, you can do that with a DB::listen callback.

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;

public function boot()
{
    // Log a warning if we spend more than 1000ms on a single query.
    DB::listen(function ($query) {
        if ($query->time > 1000) {
            Log::warning("An individual database query exceeded 1 second.", [
                'sql' => $query->sql
            ]);
        }
    });
}

And that's all there is to it! This is a quick and simple method to receive notifications about slow database operations in Laravel 10.