Laravel chunk() vs cursor() vs lazy() — Handle Large Data Without Crashing Your Server

codebysuraj — Fri, 29 May 2026 01:55:39 +0000

If you've ever tried to process thousands of rows in Laravel and got a memory error or server timeout — this article is for you.

I learned this the hard way when a large CSV export caused Apache timeout errors in production. Here's what I found out.

The Problem

// ❌ This will crash on large tables
$users = User::all();
foreach ($users as $user) {
    // process...
}

all() loads every row into memory at once. On 100,000+ rows, your server will run out of memory.

1. chunk() — Process in Batches

User::chunk(500, function ($users) {
    foreach ($users as $user) {
        // processes 500 rows at a time
    }
});

✅ Memory stays low

✅ Good for background jobs

⚠️ Don't modify/delete rows inside chunk() — it can skip records

⚠️ Runs multiple SQL queries

Use when: sending emails in batches, background processing

2. chunkById() — Safer Version of chunk()

User::chunkById(500, function ($users) {
    foreach ($users as $user) {
        // safe even when updating rows
    }
});

✅ Safe to update/delete rows inside

✅ More reliable than chunk()

Use when: updating or deleting large amounts of records

3. cursor() — One Row at a Time

foreach (User::cursor() as $user) {
    // processes one row at a time
}

✅ Most memory efficient

✅ Only one SQL query

❌ Can't use eager loading (with())

❌ Keeps DB connection open the whole time

Use when: read-only processing, CSV exports

4. lazy() — Best of Both Worlds

foreach (User::lazy() as $user) {
    // chunks behind the scenes, feels like cursor()
}

✅ Memory efficient

✅ Supports eager loading with()

✅ Cleaner syntax

// With eager loading ✅
User::with('orders')->lazy()->each(function ($user) {
    // process
});

Use when: you need cursor() but also need relationships loaded

Quick Comparison Table

Method	Memory	SQL Queries	Supports with()	Safe to modify?
all()	❌ High	1	✅	✅
chunk()	✅ Low	Multiple	✅	⚠️ No
chunkById()	✅ Low	Multiple	✅	✅ Yes
cursor()	✅ Lowest	1	❌	✅
lazy()	✅ Low	Multiple	✅	✅

My Real-World Example

This fixed my Apache timeout issue on CSV export:

// ❌ Before — caused timeout
$users = User::all();

// ✅ After — works perfectly
foreach (User::cursor() as $user) {
    fputcsv($handle, [
        $user->name,
        $user->email,
        $user->created_at
    ]);
}

Summary

chunk() — batch jobs, email sending
chunkById() — when modifying data in batches
cursor() — read-only, CSV exports, most memory efficient
lazy() — when you need cursor() + relationships

Want to dive deeper? Check out the full lesson on my free Laravel tutorial site 👇
https://php-laravel-tutorials.netlify.app/lesson-laravel-large-data

I built a free PHP & Laravel tutorial site — 49 lessons from scratch

codebysuraj — Thu, 28 May 2026 01:26:37 +0000

I've been working as a Laravel developer in Japan
for a while now, and I remember how hard it was
to find good free resources when I was learning.

So I decided to build one myself.

What I built

A free PHP & Laravel tutorial site with:

49 lessons from PHP basics to Laravel advanced
12 quizzes to test your knowledge
Progress tracking
All free, no signup needed

Who it's for

Anyone starting from zero with PHP or Laravel.
Each lesson has real code examples you can copy
and run immediately.

Link

👉 https://php-laravel-tutorials.netlify.app

I'm still adding new lessons every week.
Would love to hear what topics you'd like to
see covered next!

DEV Community: codebysuraj