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[Home](https://www.msaied.com/public) 2. / 3. [Articles](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles) 4. / 5. Cursor Pagination, Chunked Iteration, and Lazy Collections at Scale in Laravel Cursor Pagination, Chunked Iteration, and Lazy Collections at Scale in Laravel =============================================================================== Offset pagination breaks under large datasets. Learn how cursor pagination, chunked iteration, and lazy collections work under the hood in Laravel — and when to reach for each one. ![](https://cdn.msaied.com/01M22N44A70A5MC2S599JP0MPH.webp) [Mohamed Said](https://www.msaied.com/public#person) Published 3 Jul 2026 · Updated 3 Jul 2026 · 4 min read ShareCopy linkCopied ![Cursor Pagination, Chunked Iteration, and Lazy Collections at Scale in Laravel](https://cdn.msaied.com/355/3a6df23a2c16b740843260134fad7c63.png) On this page +1. [The Problem With Offset at Scale](#the-problem-with-offset-at-scale) 2. [Cursor Pagination](#cursor-pagination) 3. [Gotchas](#gotchas) 4. [Chunked Iteration](#chunked-iteration) 5. [Lazy Collections](#lazy-collections) 6. [Combining Lazy Collections With Chunking](#combining-lazy-collections-with-chunking) 7. [Choosing the Right Tool](#choosing-the-right-tool) 8. [Key Takeaways](#key-takeaways) The Problem With Offset at Scale -------------------------------- Offset-based pagination (`LIMIT 100 OFFSET 50000`) forces the database to scan and discard 50,000 rows before returning your page. On a table with millions of rows and a busy write workload, that scan gets expensive fast — and the query plan degrades non-linearly. Laravel gives you three tools to escape this trap: **cursor pagination**, **chunked iteration**, and **lazy collections**. Each solves a different problem. Reaching for the wrong one wastes either memory or database round-trips. --- Cursor Pagination ----------------- Cursor pagination encodes the last-seen row's ordered column value into an opaque token. The next page becomes a `WHERE` clause rather than an `OFFSET`. ```php // Route handler $users = User::orderBy('id') ->cursorPaginate(50); return UserResource::collection($users); ``` The generated SQL looks like: ```sql SELECT * FROM users WHERE id > 3847 ORDER BY id ASC LIMIT 51; -- one extra to detect next page ``` The cursor itself is a base64-encoded JSON payload containing the column values at the boundary. Laravel's `CursorPaginator` handles encoding and decoding transparently. ### Gotchas - **You must order by a unique, indexed column** (or a combination that is effectively unique). Non-unique cursors produce inconsistent pages. - Cursor pagination does not support jumping to arbitrary pages — it is forward/backward only. If your UI needs page numbers, stick with `paginate()`. - When ordering by a non-unique column (e.g., `created_at`), add `id` as a tiebreaker: `->orderBy('created_at')->orderBy('id')`. ```php $orders = Order::orderBy('created_at')->orderBy('id') ->cursorPaginate(25); ``` Laravel will encode both columns into the cursor token automatically. --- Chunked Iteration ----------------- When you need to process every row in a table — exports, migrations, backfills — loading everything into memory at once is fatal. `chunk()` issues repeated queries, each fetching a fixed batch. ```php User::orderBy('id')->chunk(1000, function (Collection $users) { foreach ($users as $user) { ProcessUser::dispatch($user); } }); ``` Under the hood this is still offset-based, so on very large tables the later chunks slow down. Use `chunkById()` instead — it rewrites each batch as a keyed `WHERE id > ?` query: ```php User::chunkById(1000, function (Collection $users) { $users->each(fn ($u) => ProcessUser::dispatch($u)); }); ``` `chunkById()` requires an ordered, unique column (defaults to the model's primary key). It is safe to modify rows inside the callback because the cursor advances by ID, not by offset. --- Lazy Collections ---------------- `LazyCollection` wraps a PHP generator, pulling one row at a time from the database cursor. Memory usage stays flat regardless of result set size. ```php User::cursor()->each(function (User $user) { // Only one User model in memory at a time $user->recalculateScore(); $user->saveQuietly(); }); ``` The underlying PDO fetch mode is set to `PDO::FETCH_LAZY`, and Eloquent hydrates one model per iteration. This is ideal for read-heavy pipelines where you do not need to batch database writes. ### Combining Lazy Collections With Chunking For write-heavy pipelines, combine `cursor()` with `chunk()` on the `LazyCollection` to batch inserts while keeping memory low: ```php User::cursor() ->chunk(500) ->each(function (LazyCollection $batch) { $records = $batch->map(fn ($u) => [ 'user_id' => $u->id, 'score' => $u->computeScore(), ])->all(); Score::upsert($records, ['user_id'], ['score']); }); ``` This pattern keeps one chunk (500 models) in memory at a time while issuing a single `UPSERT` per batch. --- Choosing the Right Tool ----------------------- | Scenario | Tool | |---|---| | API pagination with forward/back navigation | `cursorPaginate()` | | Full-table processing, safe to modify rows | `chunkById()` | | Read-only streaming pipeline, minimal memory | `cursor()` / `LazyCollection` | | Batched writes over a large result set | `cursor()->chunk()` | --- Key Takeaways ------------- - `OFFSET` pagination degrades at scale; cursor pagination replaces it with an indexed `WHERE` clause. - Always pair cursor pagination with a unique ordered column or a composite tiebreaker. - `chunkById()` is safer than `chunk()` when modifying rows inside the callback. - `LazyCollection::cursor()` holds one model in memory at a time — ideal for streaming reads. - Combine `cursor()->chunk()` for memory-efficient batched writes over millions of rows. - [laravel](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=laravel) - [eloquent](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=eloquent) - [performance](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=performance) - [database](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=database) - [pagination](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=pagination) Frequently asked questions --------------------------- Can I use cursor pagination with a non-unique sort column like `created\_at`?Yes, but you must add a unique tiebreaker such as `id` to the `orderBy` chain. Laravel will encode both columns into the cursor token, ensuring stable page boundaries even when multiple rows share the same `created\_at` value. What is the difference between `chunk()` and `chunkById()` in Eloquent?`chunk()` uses LIMIT/OFFSET internally and can return duplicate or skipped rows if the table is modified during iteration. `chunkById()` advances via a `WHERE id > ?` clause, making it safe to insert, update, or delete rows inside the callback. When does `LazyCollection::cursor()` outperform `chunkById()`?`cursor()` is best for read-only streaming pipelines where you process one row at a time and do not need to batch writes. For write-heavy workloads, `chunkById()` or `cursor()->chunk()` reduces the number of individual database round-trips. ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01M22N44A70A5MC2S599JP0MPH.webp)About the author ---------------- [Mohamed Said](https://www.msaied.com/public#person)Senior Backend Engineer specializing in Laravel, scalable SaaS platforms, APIs, and cloud infrastructure. I build secure, high-performance web applications that help businesses grow. [About](https://www.msaied.com/public#about) [GitHub ↗](https://github.com/EG-Mohamed) [LinkedIn ↗](https://www.linkedin.com/in/msaiedm/) [WhatsApp ↗](https://wa.me/201094619204) [Email Address ↗](mailto:hello@msaied.com) [My CV ↗](https://drive.google.com/file/u/0/d/1MF20IPRJyzfy32mhEutjL5EpSls0w2Q8/view) [Previous articleJob Batching, Chaining, and Rate-Limited Middleware in Laravel Queues](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles/job-batching-chaining-and-rate-limited-middleware-in-laravel-queues-2) [Next articlePostgreSQL JSONB in Laravel: Indexing, Querying, and Schema-less Columns Done Right](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles/postgresql-jsonb-in-laravel-indexing-querying-and-schema-less-columns-done-right) On this page ------------- 1. [The Problem With Offset at Scale](#the-problem-with-offset-at-scale) 2. [Cursor Pagination](#cursor-pagination) 3. [Gotchas](#gotchas) 4. [Chunked Iteration](#chunked-iteration) 5. [Lazy Collections](#lazy-collections) 6. [Combining Lazy Collections With Chunking](#combining-lazy-collections-with-chunking) 7. [Choosing the Right Tool](#choosing-the-right-tool) 8. [Key Takeaways](#key-takeaways) ### Have a technical challenge? Tell me what you’re building. I reply within two working days. 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