#1 - Laravel: Optimizing Likeable

The “likeable” feature in Laravel has become a staple for many developers. You’ve probably searched the internet for ways to implement it, but in this blog post, we’ll take it a step further. We’ll explore the common challenges faced when using the likeable feature and unveil some powerful optimizations.

Imagine you’re implementing the like feature for players. Typically, when fetching a list of players, you need to determine whether the currently logged-in user has liked a particular player. Let’s try a clever approach by leveraging Eloquent’s accessor capabilities.

1
2
3
4
5
public function getIsLikedAttribute()
{
    $liked = $this->likes()->where( 'user_id', auth()->id())->first();
    return (bool)$liked;
}

With this implementation, the returned data will include an is_liked field that accurately reflects whether the logged-in user has liked each player or not.

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
{
  "players": [
    {
      "id": 89573795441935385,
      "name": "Alex",
      "created_at": "2019-10-11T12:07:08+0000",
      "updated_at": "2020-05-17T14:00:12+0000",
      "is_liked": true
    },
    {
      "id": 89573795265774616,
      "name": "Alex",
      "created_at": "2019-10-11T12:07:08+0000",
      "updated_at": "2020-05-17T14:00:12+0000",
      "is_liked": false
    }
  ]
}

At first glance, this approach may seem simple and straightforward. However, it presents a performance challenge when dealing with large datasets or paginated results limited to 25 items.

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
{
  "database": {
    "total": 29,
    "items": [
      {
        "connection": "mysql",
        "query": "select * from `likes` where `likes`.`likeable_id` = `194456710046286896` and `likes`.`likeable_id` is not null and `likes`.`likeable_tyPe` = `App\\Player` and `user_id` = `157426748995143158` and `likes`.`deleted_at` is null limit 1;",
        "time": 0.38
      },
      {
        "connection": "mysql",
        "query": "select * from `likes` where `likes`.`likeable_id` = `194456710021121071` and `likes`.`likeable_id. is not null and `likes`.`likeable_tyPe` = `App\\Player` and `user_id` = `157426748995143158` and `likes`.`deleted_at` is null limit 1;",
        "time": 0.29
      }
    ]
  }
}

The culprit lies within the getIsLikedAttribute() method, where we unintentionally fall into the notorious N+1 problem, executing an additional query for each player. But fear not! We have an exciting optimization technique to eliminate these performance bottlenecks.

1
2
3
4
5
6
public function liked()
{
    return $this->morphOne(Like::class, 'likeable')
        ->where('user_id', auth()->id())
        ->select(rid', 'created_at', 'updated_at1);
}

Instead of executing queries within the accessor, we’ll leverage a powerful Eloquent relationship called liked. By utilizing the with() method, we can eagerly load the liked relationship and transform the implementation.

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
{
  "players": [
    {
      "id": 194456710046286896,
      "name": "Alex",
      "created_at": "2020-03-04T05:10:46+0000",
      "updated_at": "2020-05-17T14:00:12+0000",
      "liked": {
        "id": 241465878896444422,
        "likeable_id": 194456710046286896,
        "created_at": "2020-05-08T01:49:35+0000",
        "updated_at": "2020-05-21T04:12:15+0000"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": 194456710021121071,
      "name": "Tom",
      "created_at": "2020-03-04T05:10:46+0000",
      "updated_at": "2020-05-17T14:00:12+0000",
      "liked": null
    }
  ]
}

Voilà! The is_liked field has now become liked. It no longer represents a simple boolean value but instead provides an object or null depending on the user’s like status. As a result, the number of queries dramatically decreases, and your application’s performance receives a significant boost.

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
{
  "database": {
    "total": 4,
    "items": [
      {
        "connection": "mysql",
        "query": "select count(*) as aggregate from `players` where `players`.`deleted_at` is null;",
        "time": 2.55
      },
      {
        "connection": "mysql",
        "query": "select `id`, `sync_player_id`, `name`, `localized_name`, `gender`, `date_of_birth`, `registration_number`, `class`, `registered_date`, `nationality`, `prefecture_id`, `graduate`, `current_rank_code`, `next_rank_code`, `note`, `created_at`, `updated_at` from `players` where `players`.`deleted_at` is null order by `updated_at` desc, `id` desc limit 25 offset 0;",
        "time": 0.59
      },
      {
        "connection": "mysql",
        "query": "select `id`, `player_id`, `type, `expiration_date`, `deleted_date., `registered_date`, `updated_date` from `player_licenses` where `player_licenses`.`player_id` in (89573795265774616, 89573795441935385, 89573795735536666, 89573795911697435, 89573796079469596, 89573796222075933, 89573796398236702, 89573796574397471, 89573796725392416, 89573796876387361, 89573797044159522, 89573797220320291, 89573797413258276, 89573797606196261, 89573797773968422, 89573797924963367, 89573798075958312, 89573798243730473, 96879317530706986, 194456709912069163, 194456709937234988, 194456709970789421, 194456709995955246, 194456710021121071, 194456710046286896);",
        "time": 0.71
      },
      {
        "connection": "mysql",
        "query": "select `id`, `likeable_id`, `created_at`, `updated_at` from `likes` where `user_id` = `157426748995143158` and `likes`.`likeable_id` in (89573795265774616, 89573795441935385, 89573795735536666, 89573795911697435, 89573796079469596, 89573796222075933, 89573796398236702, 89573796574397471, 89573796725392416, 89573796876387361, 89573797044159522, 89573797220320291, 89573797413258276, 89573797606196261, 89573797773968422, 89573797924963367, 89573798075958312, 89573798243730473, 96879317530706986, 194456709912069163, 194456709937234988, 194456709970789421, 194456709995955246, 194456710021121071, 194456710046286896) and `likes`.`likeable_type` = `App\\Player` and `likes`.`deleted_at` is null;",
        "time": 0.88
      }
    ]
  }
}

Optimizing the likeable feature in Laravel is not only about functionality but also performance. By employing the power of relationships and smart data retrieval techniques, you can supercharge your application’s likeability and provide a seamless user experience.

So, let’s dive into the world of Laravel optimizations and unlock the true potential of your likeable feature!