Laravel chunk() vs cursor() vs lazy() — Handle Large Data Without Crashing Your Server

The article compares Laravel's chunk(), chunkById(), cursor(), and lazy() for processing large datasets safely.

It shows why loading everything with all() can exhaust memory or crash long-running jobs.

Each method fits a different use case: batch updates, read-only exports, eager loading, or simple iteration.

Choosing the right approach helps avoid memory exhaustion and Apache timeout issues in large jobs like CSV exports.