Low-effort wins
php artisan config:cache,route:cache,view:cache; warm on deploy.- Enable OPcache with sane limits; preloading for hot classes when applicable.
- Use queues for emails/webhooks; keep HTTP requests lean.
Database hygiene
- Add missing indexes; avoid N+1 with eager loading; paginate large lists.
- Use read replicas where safe; cap per-request query count in logs.
- Measure slow queries; set alarms on p95 query time.
HTTP layer
- Cache responses with tags (Redis) for fast invalidation.
- Use CDN for static/media; compress and set cache headers.
- Leverage middleware to short-circuit authenticated user cache when possible.
Observability
- Laravel Telescope or Horizon for queues; metrics on throughput, failures, latency.
- Log DB/query counts; track opcache hit rate and memory usage.
Checklist
- Config/route/view cached on deploy.
- OPcache enabled and monitored.
- DB queries optimized and indexed; N+1 checks in CI.
- Responses cached where safe; queues handle slow work.