Laravel Octane for High-Performance Applications

What is Laravel Octane?

A package called Laravel Octane was created to improve Laravel’s functionality. It leverages powerful application servers such as Swoole and RoadRunner to make applications run faster. By maintaining the app in memory between requests, it minimizes processing delays and boosts overall speed

Unlike the traditional PHP request lifecycle, where PHP reloads the framework and dependencies for every request, Octane keeps your application in memory, drastically reducing bootstrap time and improving request handling speeds. 

Key Features 

• Persistent Application State – Keeps the Laravel app loaded in memory. 
• Parallel Task Execution – Runs certain tasks asynchronously. 
• High Throughput – Handles thousands of requests per second. 
• Optimized Boot Time – Avoids repeatedly bootstrapping the framework. 
• Compatibility – Works with Laravel’s existing ecosystem and middleware.

How Laravel Works Without Octane

Normally, each HTTP request in Laravel:

1. Loads the PHP runtime. 
2. Boots the Laravel framework. 
3. Loads configuration, routes, and services. 
4. Processes the request. 
5. Shuts down and releases memory. 

This process happens for every request, leading to performance overhead. 

How Octane for Laravel Enhances Performance

By retaining the program in memory, Octane modifies this.

 This means: 

• The framework bootstraps once and stays loaded. 

• Multiple requests reuse the same loaded application. 

• Background tasks and parallel processing are possible.

This is possible because of Swoole and RoadRunner, which are long-running PHP application servers.

Laravel Octane Workflow

Without Octane

Request → Load PHP + Laravel → Handle Request → Close → Repeat

With Octane 

Start Server → Load Laravel Once → Handle Multiple Requests from Memory

Benefits of Using Laravel Octane

1. Speed & Throughput

• Reduces response times from milliseconds to microseconds. 

• Supports tens of thousands of requests per second. 

2. Reduced Server Costs

• More requests handled per server instance. 

• Potentially reduces the need for horizontal scaling.

3. Parallel Processing 

• Run database queries, API calls, or CPU-bound tasks in parallel.

4. Persistent Connections

• Keep database and cache connections open for faster re-use.

Installing Laravel Octane

Step 1: Install Octane

composer require laravel/octane

Step 2: Install Swoole or RoadRunner

For Swoole: 

• pecl install swoole 

Enable in php.ini: 

• extension=swoole 

For RoadRunner: 

• composer require spiral/roadrunner 

Or download bithe nary from the official website.

Step 3: Set up the Octane Configuration 

• php artisan octane: install 

Running Laravel Octane 

• php artisan octane:start –server=swoole –port=8000 

For RoadRunner: 

• php artisan octane:start –server=roadrunner –port=8000 

You can also run in watch mode for development: 

• php artisan octane:start –watch 

Best Practices for Using Octane in Production 

1. Avoid Stateful Services

Since the application stays in memory, storing user-specific data in static variables can cause data leakage between requests. 

Use: 

• session(), cache(), request() 

 Avoid: 

• static $user; 

2. Optimize Memory Usage

• Use singleton services carefully. 

• Clear unused objects and listeners.

3. Handle Persistent Connections 

• Ensure DB connections are reset if they time out. 

• Use DB::disconnect() if needed. 

4. Use Parallel Processing

• use Laravel\Octane\Facades\Octane;
  [$user, $orders] = Octane::concurrently([
  fn () => User::find(1),
  fn () => Order::all()
  ]); 

5. Load Testing Before Deployment

Use tools like: 

• ab -n 1000 -c 100 http://127.0.0.1:8000/ 

Or k6, JMeter for performance testing.

When to Use Laravel Octane 

Perfect for: 

• Real-time applications. 
• E-commerce platforms. 
• High-traffic APIs. 
• SaaS products with heavy concurrency. 

Not recommended for: 

• Small applications with low traffic. 

• Apps relying heavily on stateful PHP behavior.