1. The N+1 Problem with Lazy Loading

By default, Eloquent uses lazy loading. It means related data is loaded only when accessed.
This often leads to the infamous N+1 query problem.

$users = User::all(); // 1 query
foreach ($users as $user) {
    $user->posts; // +1 query per user ❌
}

100 users = 101 queries 😱

2. Eager Loading - the right way

The solution is eager loading:

$users = User::with('posts')->get(); // 2 queries total ✅

Nested relations:

$users = User::with('posts.comments')->get();

3. Conditional Loading

You don’t always need all relations.

• Filter related models

$users = User::with(['posts' => fn($q) => $q->where('is_active', true)])->get();

• Load only if missing

$user->loadMissing('posts');

• Combine with whereHas

$users = User::withWhereHas('posts', fn($q) => $q->where('is_active', true))->get();

4. Model::shouldBeStrict() – your dev-time guard

Enable strict mode in AppServiceProvider:

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;

public function boot(): void
{
    Model::shouldBeStrict();
}

Benefits:

• Laravel throws exceptions on lazy loading in loops
• Catches undefined attributes
• Safer development workflow

For production you can use:

Model::preventLazyLoading(! app()->isProduction());

This way you get exceptions in dev, warnings in prod.

5. Best Practices Checklist ✅

• Always use with() when you know you’ll need relations
• Use withCount() for aggregates instead of full relation load
• For conditional loading, use withWhereHas
• Enable Model::shouldBeStrict() during development
• Monitor queries (Laravel Debugbar, Telescope, Clockwork)