Laravel Queues Implementation Step by Step

Learn how to implement and manage queues in Laravel for handling background jobs, improving application performance, and providing a better user experience.

Introduction

Laravel queues provide a way to handle time-consuming tasks in the background, such as sending emails, processing images, or generating reports. This guide will walk you through implementing queues in your Laravel application.

Prerequisites

Laravel 6.x or higher
Configured database
Redis or database driver for queues
Supervisor (for production)

1 Configure Queue Driver

Update your queue configuration in `.env`:

QUEUE_CONNECTION=database
QUEUE_DRIVER=database

Create the jobs table:

php artisan queue:table
php artisan migrate

2 Create a Job Class

Generate a new job class:

php artisan make:job ProcessOrder

Implement the job logic:

class ProcessOrder implements ShouldQueue
{
    use Dispatchable, InteractsWithQueue, Queueable, SerializesModels;

    protected $order;

    public function __construct(Order $order)
    {
        $this->order = $order;
    }

    public function handle()
    {
        // Process the order
        $this->order->process();
    }

    public function failed(Throwable $exception)
    {
        // Handle job failure
        Log::error('Order processing failed', [
            'order_id' => $this->order->id,
            'error' => $exception->getMessage()
        ]);
    }
}

3 Dispatch Jobs

Dispatch jobs from your controller or service:

public function store(Request $request)
{
    $order = Order::create($request->all());
    
    ProcessOrder::dispatch($order);
    
    return response()->json(['message' => 'Order queued for processing']);
}

4 Configure Queue Worker

Start the queue worker:

php artisan queue:work

For production, configure Supervisor:

[program:laravel-worker]
process_name=%(program_name)s_%(process_num)02d
command=php /path/to/artisan queue:work --sleep=3 --tries=3
autostart=true
autorestart=true
user=www-data
numprocs=8
redirect_stderr=true
stdout_logfile=/path/to/worker.log

5 Monitor Queue Jobs

Monitor failed jobs:

php artisan queue:failed

Retry failed jobs:

php artisan queue:retry all

Key Features Covered

Queue configuration and setup
Job class creation and implementation
Job dispatching and handling
Queue worker configuration
Failed job handling and monitoring

Best Practices

Use job middleware for authentication and authorization
Implement proper error handling and logging
Set appropriate retry attempts and backoff
Monitor queue performance and adjust workers
Use job batching for related jobs

Common Issues

Queue worker crashes and restarts
Memory leaks in long-running jobs
Failed job handling and retries
Queue driver configuration issues
Supervisor configuration problems

Laravel Queues Implementation Step by Step