Database Optimization Strategies
Improve your application performance with these database optimization techniques for PostgreSQL and MySQL.
Database Optimization Strategies
Improve your application performance with these database optimization techniques.
Indexing Strategies
B-Tree Indexes
The most common index type, ideal for equality and range queries:
CREATE INDEX idx_users_email ON users (email);
CREATE INDEX idx_posts_published ON posts (published_at DESC) WHERE status = 'published';
Composite Indexes
For queries that filter on multiple columns:
CREATE INDEX idx_orders_user_date ON orders (user_id, created_at DESC);
Query Optimization
EXPLAIN ANALYZE
Always analyze your queries:
EXPLAIN ANALYZE
SELECT p.*, u.name as author_name
FROM posts p
JOIN users u ON p.author_id = u.id
WHERE p.status = 'published'
ORDER BY p.published_at DESC
LIMIT 10;
Avoid N+1 Queries
Use JOIN or batch loading:
// ❌ N+1 problem
const posts = await db.select().from(postsTable)
for (const post of posts) {
const author = await db.select().from(users).where(eq(users.id, post.authorId))
}
// ✅ Single query with JOIN
const postsWithAuthors = await db
.select()
.from(postsTable)
.leftJoin(users, eq(postsTable.authorId, users.id))
Connection Pooling
Configure your connection pool based on your workload:
const pool = new Pool({
max: 20, // Max connections
idleTimeoutMillis: 30000, // Close idle connections after 30s
connectionTimeoutMillis: 5000, // Wait max 5s for connection
})
Caching Strategies
Application-Level Caching
import { Redis } from 'ioredis'
const redis = new Redis(process.env.REDIS_URL)
async function getPost(slug: string) {
const cached = await redis.get(`post:${slug}`)
if (cached) return JSON.parse(cached)
const post = await db.select().from(posts).where(eq(posts.slug, slug))
await redis.setex(`post:${slug}`, 3600, JSON.stringify(post))
return post
}
Conclusion
Database optimization is an ongoing process. Start with proper indexing, analyze your queries, eliminate N+1 problems, use connection pooling, and add caching where appropriate. These strategies will significantly improve your application's performance and scalability.
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