Laravel Performance Optimization: Speeding Up Your Application

Did you know that around 50 percent of customers leave a website if it takes more than three seconds to load? Website performance and speed are important factors in maintaining optimal user experience, lowering costs, and reducing server load.

Laravel is one of the top PHP frameworks used for web development and it currently powers over 700,000 websites. It’s praised for its performance, strong security, and sophisticated architecture.

However, no framework out there is perfect. So, Laravel performance may decline if it’s not properly optimized. Improving Laravel app performance requires knowledgeable and experienced web developers skilled in the right optimization techniques!

The Importance of Laravel Website & App Speed 

If your website or app loads slowly (it takes longer than three seconds), you risk losing more than 70 percent of potential customers. The percentage reaches 90 if they need ten or more seconds to load.

Website speed influences user experience. If a  Laravel app or a website takes a long time to load, users will eventually give up and choose a different option. Speed also matters for Google ranking: the faster your website, the higher will it rank in search results.

The app’s speed also influences the conversion rate. If a user has to wait, they will probably leave before there’s a chance for a conversion. Faster websites generally are more stable and their bounce rate is lower. 

An experienced developer can make all the difference in Laravel performance optimization. In the long run, investing in Laravel optimization helps businesses save money by reducing the server load which is associated with higher hosting costs. It will also lower the time and effort necessary to maintain apps.

The Best Laravel Optimization Techniques 

Many factors can slow down Laravel apps and websites. They range anywhere from poor developer habits like uploading heavy images, using old PHP versions, unnecessary data, etc. 

With the right code improvements and commands, web developers can optimize Laravel effectively and ensure top speed. The improved performance combined with Laravel’s excellent security and usability guarantees better user performance and ensures businesses’ success. 

Below, check out some of the best Laravel performance optimization tips for effective speed enhancements:

  • Compress

Reducing image size can do a lot for page load speed. 

The compression should be done before you upload the images to a server. Laravel Valet is a great option to ensure the automatic compression of images. 

There are other beneficial online tools that you can use for image compression and successfully improve Laravel performance. 

  • Deploy

The built-in deployment tool in Laravel helps deploy the app on a server. 

When you’re using this deployment tool instead of another, you’re contributing to better speed as Laravel is already installed on the server. 

There will be no need for additional setups or installations: one command and everything becomes automatic.

  • Cache

Websites with many routes should be cached for better performance. When a route is registered, it will be automatically cached for 60 minutes by default. 

If the app has 1000 routes, it will save approximately 600 calls to route. 

Caching routes is not complicated at all. You just need to add Route::cache(60) or call Route::cache(‘all’) in the boot () method of the App Service Provider. 

This will make sure all the routes that are registered are cached for 60 minutes or for any other value you want.

  • Leverage 

Laravel has a built-in opcode cache which you can enable by adding ‘opcache’=> true in the .env file. This helps cache the app’s compiled code into the shared memory. 

So, whenever a code is executed, it will load from the memory instead of being compiled again, resulting in better app performance

  • Minify

Minifying JavaScript and CSS files, before proceeding with the assets bundling process helps improve Laravel performance. 

Minifying eliminates unnecessary code from apps like comments, whitespace, etc. You can also resize the images and make thumbnails. This will better the UX and decrease HTTP calls.

  • Use a CDN

A content delivery network is a great way to boost Laravel performance. Instead of loading static content directly from the machine where the files are hosted, they will load from a CDN server and reach the audience faster. 

This caches the latest version of the website to a global network of cloud servers. In this way, all visitors, even the ones geographically more distant, will be able to enjoy quick access to your website.

Final Thoughts 

Speeding up Laravel applications and websites is a must if we take into account the effects of speed and performance on business conversion rates and overall success.

Laravel is one of the most popular frameworks today, but there’s always a risk of slower performance if the right optimization isn’t performed. With the right team of web developers, you can finally realize your business’s full potential!

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to improving Laravel app performance, contact our experienced web developers at ArtHaus. We deliver impeccable IT solutions within budget for clients globally.