Cutting API response time from 1.2s to under 500ms
How we reduced API response times from 1.2s to under 500ms using Laravel, PostgreSQL tuning, and caching.
In one of my recent roles, our core API endpoints were consistently responding in around 1.2 seconds. For customers using the platform every day, this felt slow and directly impacted conversion.
I started by measuring end-to-end latency and then broke the problem down into three areas: inefficient database queries, missing caching on read-heavy endpoints, and unnecessary network hops in our architecture.
By introducing proper indexes, rewriting a few N+1 queries, and adding Redis caching to hot read endpoints, we reduced the average response time to under 500ms without changing any external contracts. This improvement also lowered database load and made the system more predictable under peak traffic.