Nokib's Dev Blog

When building search features in Laravel applications, it's common to reach for the LIKE operator:

DB::table('posts')->where('title', 'LIKE', '%Laravel%')->get();

However, this approach—especially with wildcards on both sides (%Laravel%)—can severely degrade performance on large datasets, because it disables index usage in most databases.

In this article, we’ll explore efficient alternatives to %LIKE% in Laravel:

- ✅ Using LIKE 'keyword%' for indexed searches
- ✅ Using MySQL's FULLTEXT indexing
- ✅ Bonus: Laravel Scout for powerful, scalable search

🧠 Why %LIKE% is Slow:

Using %keyword% forces the database to scan every row, which:
- Ignores indexes
- Consumes more memory and CPU
- Slows down significantly with large tables

⚡ Option 1: Use LIKE 'keyword%' for Indexed Searches:

If your use case only requires searching from the start of a string, use:

DB::table('posts')->where('title', 'LIKE', 'Laravel%')->get();

This allows MySQL to use indexes, making the search much faster. It's ideal for autocomplete or prefix-based searches.

🔍 Option 2: Full-Text Search with MySQL:

If you need to search within a string efficiently, consider FULLTEXT indexing.

✅ Step 1: Add a FULLTEXT Index

In your migration:

Schema::table('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
         $table->fullText(['title', 'body']);
     });

✅ Step 2: Search with MATCH ... AGAINST

$results = DB::table('posts')
         ->whereRaw("MATCH(title, body) AGAINST (? IN BOOLEAN MODE)", [$searchTerm])
         ->get();

This is significantly faster and more powerful than LIKE, especially for multi-word or fuzzy search.

📦 Option 3: Make it Reusable with a Model Scope

Add a scope to your Eloquent model:

// Post.php
     public function scopeFullTextSearch($query, $term)
     {
         return $query->whereRaw("MATCH(title, body) AGAINST (? IN BOOLEAN MODE)", [$term]);
     }

Then use it like this:

$posts = Post::fullTextSearch('laravel eloquent')->get();

🚀 Bonus: Use Laravel Scout for Scalable Search

For even more robust solutions (fuzzy search, ranking, typo tolerance), Laravel Scout with services like Meilisearch or Algolia is a great option.

composer require laravel/scout
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Laravel\Scout\ScoutServiceProvider"

Then add the Searchable trait to your model:

use Laravel\Scout\Searchable; 

class Post extends Model
     {
         use Searchable;
     }

Scout handles indexing automatically and gives you powerful search capabilities out of the box.

Boost Laravel Performance: Replace Slow LIKE '%keyword%' Queries with Full-Text Search

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