You’re probably already using Laravel Pulse to monitor your application, but are you really getting the most out of it?
In this post, we’ll uncover 10 underrated Laravel Pulse tips that can supercharge your monitoring workflow, help you detect issues faster, and keep your Laravel apps running smoothly.
From custom metric tracking to fine-tuning Pulse in production, you’ll walk away with step-by-step insights and pro-level tricks that aren’t commonly shared—but should be.
Blog Outline
- What Is Laravel Pulse? (Quick Recap)
- Why Use Laravel Pulse Over Other Monitoring Tools?
- Top 5 Keywords to Rank With
- Top 10 Laravel Pulse Tips You Probably Didn’t Know
- Tip #1: Enable Query Thresholds to Catch Slow Queries Instantly
- Tip #2: Track Custom Metrics with Pulse API
- Tip #3: Monitor Scheduled Tasks in Real-Time
- Tip #4: Use Pulse Filters to Drill Into Specific Data
- Tip #5: Pulse Production Mode Optimization
- Tip #6: Group Jobs, Commands & Requests by Tags
- Tip #7: Store Pulse Data Externally for Historical Analysis
- Tip #8: Use Pulse with Horizon for Full Visibility
- Tip #9: Auto-Alerting with Laravel Notifications
- Tip #10: Pulse on Steroids – Combine with Telescope & Debugbar
- Final Thoughts and Recommendations
What Is Laravel Pulse? (Quick Recap)
Laravel Pulse is a lightweight real-time application performance monitoring (APM) tool introduced by the Laravel team. It allows developers to track requests, database queries, jobs, and more—all without leaving the Laravel ecosystem.
Pulse is designed to give you instant visibility into your app’s behavior with minimal setup and zero external dependencies.
Why Use Laravel Pulse Over Other Monitoring Tools?
While tools like New Relic or Datadog are great, they’re also:
- Expensive
- Complex
- Sometimes too heavy for smaller teams or startups
Laravel Pulse, in contrast, is:
- Lightweight and developer-friendly
- Open-source and integrated with Laravel 10+
- Free and doesn’t bloat your app
Top 10 Laravel Pulse Tips You Probably Didn’t Know
Tip #1: Enable Query Thresholds to Catch Slow Queries Instantly
Why it matters:
Identifying slow queries is crucial for performance.
How to do it:
// config/pulse.php
return [
'slow_query_threshold' => 100, // in milliseconds
];
Anything slower than 100ms will be highlighted in Pulse.
Pro Tip: Start at 100ms, then tune based on app complexity.
Tip #2: Track Custom Metrics with Pulse API
Why it matters:
You may want to monitor metrics like active users, API hits, or payment failures.
How to do it:
use Laravel\Pulse\Pulse;
Pulse::record('custom.metric_name', value: 5);
These will now appear under “Custom” in the Pulse UI.
Use this to monitor app-specific KPIs that Pulse doesn’t track by default.
Tip #3: Monitor Scheduled Tasks in Real-Time
Why it matters:
Failed or delayed cron jobs can go unnoticed.
How to do it:
Make sure your scheduled tasks are being monitored by enabling Pulse in your Kernel.php:
$schedule->command('your:command')
->everyMinute()
->monitorWithPulse();
You’ll now see these tasks in the Pulse dashboard under “Commands.”
Tip #4: Use Pulse Filters to Drill Into Specific Data
Why it matters:
Too much noise in logs? Filters help you zoom in.
How to do it:
Use the dropdown filters in the dashboard to isolate:
- A specific job
- A particular query
- A timeframe
This makes Pulse a powerful debugging tool, not just a monitor.
Tip #5: Pulse Production Mode Optimization
Why it matters:
Pulse can be resource-heavy if not optimized in production.
How to do it:
Update .env:
PULSE_ENABLED=true
PULSE_KEEP_DAYS=3
PULSE_LIMIT=1000
This ensures Pulse doesn’t overload your database with historical data.
Tip #6: Group Jobs, Commands & Requests by Tags
Why it matters:
Better visibility into how specific parts of your app behave.
How to do it:
Pulse::record('job.payment', value: 1);
Pulse::record('request.api', value: 1);
Use consistent naming conventions to create meaningful groupings.
Helps in pinpointing bottlenecks in certain app modules.
Tip #7: Store Pulse Data Externally for Historical Analysis
Why it matters:
Pulse stores data in local DB by default. That’s fine for dev, but not ideal for long-term trend analysis.
How to do it:
Switch to external storage like InfluxDB or export logs regularly using Laravel’s built-in task scheduling.
Get historical insights into app health across weeks or months.
Tip #8: Use Pulse with Horizon for Full Visibility
Why it matters:
Pulse shows what happened, Horizon shows how it happened—especially for queues.
How to do it:
Install Horizon:
composer require laravel/horizon
Now monitor:
- Queued jobs
- Failed jobs
- Job retry patterns
This combo helps you understand backend job flows deeply.
Tip #9: Auto-Alerting with Laravel Notifications
Why it matters:
Pulse has no built-in alerts—but you can easily hook into Laravel Notifications.
How to do it:
if ($metricValue > 500) {
Notification::route('mail', 'you@example.com')
->notify(new SlowQueryDetected($metricValue));
}
Stay ahead of problems without having to constantly check the dashboard.
Tip #10: Pulse on Steroids – Combine with Telescope & Debugbar
Why it matters:
Pulse = overview.
Telescope = detailed logs.
Debugbar = dev insights.
How to do it:
Install Telescope:
composer require laravel/telescope
Install Debugbar (for local only):
composer require barryvdh/laravel-debugbar --dev
Together, they offer a 360-degree view of what’s happening in your app.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
Laravel Pulse is more than just a pretty dashboard—it’s a real-time mirror into your app’s health. When used correctly, it helps reduce downtime, debug faster, and scale with confidence.
Here’s what you should do next:
- Start with the default setup
- Gradually apply these advanced tips
- Combine with Horizon, Telescope, and Debugbar for full-stack monitoring
Summary (TL;DR)
- Use query thresholds to flag slow DB calls
- Track custom metrics for better business insights
- Monitor scheduled tasks, jobs, and requests in real-time
- Enable auto-alerts using Laravel Notifications
- Combine Pulse with other tools for full observability
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