Laravel Read/Write Splitting & Sticky Reads | Mohamed Said [ ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01KT78WE565VEMM3PSNQAAB0MH.png) Mohamed Said Laravel Backend Engineer ](https://msaied.com) [ Home ](https://msaied.com) [ Projects ](https://msaied.com/projects) [ Articles ](https://msaied.com/articles) [ Certificates ](https://msaied.com/certificates) [ Contact ](https://msaied.com#contact-section) [ ](https://github.com/EG-Mohamed) [ Home ](https://msaied.com) [ Projects ](https://msaied.com/projects) [ Articles ](https://msaied.com/articles) [ Certificates ](https://msaied.com/certificates) [ Contact ](https://msaied.com#contact-section) [ home ](https://msaied.com) [ articles ](https://msaied.com/articles) Read/Write Splitting, Connection Pooling, and Sticky Reads in Laravel On this page 1. [ Read/Write Splitting, Connection Pooling, and Sticky Reads in Laravel ](#readwrite-splitting-connection-pooling-and-sticky-reads-in-laravel) 2. [ Configuring Read/Write Connections ](#configuring-readwrite-connections) 3. [ The sticky Option and Why It Exists ](#the-codestickycode-option-and-why-it-exists) 4. [ Connection Pooling with PgBouncer ](#connection-pooling-with-pgbouncer) 5. [ Handling Replication Lag in Jobs ](#handling-replication-lag-in-jobs) 6. [ Takeaways ](#takeaways) ![Read/Write Splitting, Connection Pooling, and Sticky Reads in Laravel](https://cdn.msaied.com/418/4c0c54c81ac02b35d192ac992080bc8b.png) #laravel #database #performance #postgresql #mysql Read/Write Splitting, Connection Pooling, and Sticky Reads in Laravel ======================================================================= 13 Jul 2026 4 min read ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01KT78WE565VEMM3PSNQAAB0MJ.jpg) Mohamed Said Table of contents 1. [ 01 Read/Write Splitting, Connection Pooling, and Sticky Reads in Laravel ](#readwrite-splitting-connection-pooling-and-sticky-reads-in-laravel) 2. [ 02 Configuring Read/Write Connections ](#configuring-readwrite-connections) 3. [ 03 The sticky Option and Why It Exists ](#the-codestickycode-option-and-why-it-exists) 4. [ 04 Connection Pooling with PgBouncer ](#connection-pooling-with-pgbouncer) 5. [ 05 Handling Replication Lag in Jobs ](#handling-replication-lag-in-jobs) 6. [ 06 Takeaways ](#takeaways) Read/Write Splitting, Connection Pooling, and Sticky Reads in Laravel --------------------------------------------------------------------- Scaling a Laravel application's database layer is rarely about raw query optimisation alone. Once you add a read replica, you immediately inherit a class of subtle bugs caused by replication lag. Laravel ships with first-class support for read/write connections, but the defaults can surprise you in production. ### Configuring Read/Write Connections Laravel's `config/database.php` accepts a `read` and `write` key inside any connection definition. Both accept an array of hosts, and Laravel picks one at random per request. ```php 'mysql' => [ 'driver' => 'mysql', 'read' => [ 'host' => [ env('DB_READ_HOST_1', '10.0.1.10'), env('DB_READ_HOST_2', '10.0.1.11'), ], ], 'write' => [ 'host' => [env('DB_WRITE_HOST', '10.0.1.1')], ], 'sticky' => true, 'database' => env('DB_DATABASE', 'app'), 'username' => env('DB_USERNAME'), 'password' => env('DB_PASSWORD'), 'charset' => 'utf8mb4', 'collation' => 'utf8mb4_unicode_ci', 'prefix' => '', ], ``` Every `SELECT` goes to a random read host; every `INSERT`, `UPDATE`, `DELETE`, and DDL goes to the write host. ### The `sticky` Option and Why It Exists Without `sticky`, a user who just submitted a form might immediately read their own write from a replica that hasn't caught up yet — a classic "I just saved this, where did it go?" bug. When `sticky => true`, Laravel records whether the write connection was used during the current request. If it was, all subsequent reads in that same request are routed to the write host instead of a replica. ```php // Internally, Connection::$recordsModified drives this. // After any write, Laravel sets it to true and useReadPdo() returns false. ``` This is a per-request flag, so it resets on the next HTTP request. It is not a session-level concept — long-running queue workers or CLI commands do not benefit from it automatically. **Forcing a read from the write host explicitly:** ```php $user = DB::connection('mysql::write') ->table('users') ->find($id); // Or via Eloquent: $user = User::on('mysql::write')->find($id); ``` Use this sparingly — it defeats the purpose of replicas — but it is the right tool after a critical write in a job. ### Connection Pooling with PgBouncer Laravel opens a new PDO connection per worker process. Under Octane or high-concurrency FPM, this means hundreds of connections hitting your database simultaneously. PgBouncer (PostgreSQL) and ProxySQL (MySQL) sit in front of the database and multiplex many application connections onto a smaller pool. **PgBouncer in transaction-mode** is the most efficient but breaks `SET` statements, advisory locks, and prepared statements. Configure Laravel to disable server-side prepared statements: ```php 'pgsql' => [ 'driver' => 'pgsql', 'host' => env('DB_HOST', '127.0.0.1'), 'port' => env('DB_PORT', '6432'), // PgBouncer port 'options' => [ PDO::ATTR_EMULATE_PREPARES => true, // avoids named prepared statements ], // ... ], ``` Alternatively, run PgBouncer in **session mode** if you rely on advisory locks or `LISTEN/NOTIFY` — you lose some multiplexing efficiency but retain full feature compatibility. ### Handling Replication Lag in Jobs Queue workers are long-lived processes. `sticky` does not help them. After a job writes data and then reads it back, it may hit a stale replica. ```php class ProcessOrderJob implements ShouldQueue { public function handle(): void { // Write $order = Order::create([...]); // Explicitly read from write host to avoid lag $fresh = Order::on('mysql::write')->find($order->id); // Or simply use the model already in memory: $fresh = $order->refresh(); // still hits read by default! // Better: DB::connection()->recordsModified(); // check flag — not reliable in jobs } } ``` The cleanest pattern: pass the already-hydrated model or its ID into subsequent steps rather than re-querying immediately after a write. ### Takeaways - Enable `sticky => true` to prevent users from reading stale data after their own writes within the same HTTP request. - Use `DB::connection('mysql::write')` explicitly in jobs and CLI commands where `sticky` has no effect. - Disable PDO prepared statements (`ATTR_EMULATE_PREPARES`) when routing through PgBouncer in transaction mode. - Prefer session-mode PgBouncer if your application uses advisory locks, `LISTEN/NOTIFY`, or `pg_temp` schemas. - Avoid re-querying immediately after a write in queue workers; pass hydrated models or use the write connection explicitly. Found this useful? [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmsaied.com%2Farticles%2Freadwrite-splitting-connection-pooling-and-sticky-reads-in-laravel-4&text=Read%2FWrite+Splitting%2C+Connection+Pooling%2C+and+Sticky+Reads+in+Laravel) [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmsaied.com%2Farticles%2Freadwrite-splitting-connection-pooling-and-sticky-reads-in-laravel-4) Frequently Asked Questions ---------------------------- 3 questions Q01 Does Laravel's `sticky` option work inside queue jobs? `sticky` is a per-request, in-memory flag on the Connection object. Queue workers are long-lived processes that handle many jobs sequentially, so the flag is not reset between jobs reliably. Always use `DB::connection('mysql::write')` or pass already-loaded models when you need to read immediately after a write inside a job. Q02 Why do prepared statements break with PgBouncer in transaction mode? PgBouncer in transaction mode can route consecutive transactions to different backend connections. Named prepared statements are tied to a specific backend connection, so a statement prepared on connection A is not available on connection B. Setting `PDO::ATTR_EMULATE_PREPARES => true` makes PDO interpolate parameters client-side, avoiding server-side named statements entirely. Q03 How do I verify which connection (read or write) a query actually used? Enable the query log with `DB::enableQueryLog()` and inspect `DB::getQueryLog()`. For deeper inspection, attach a `DB::listen()` listener that logs the connection name alongside the SQL. In Telescope or Debugbar, the connection name is shown per query in the database tab. 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