# Efficiently Cache Repeated Results in Laravel with the once() Helper

By Dinesh Uprety
Published: 2025-05-24
Updated: 2025-05-24
Canonical: https://laranepal.com/blog/efficiently-cache-repeated-results-in-laravel-with-the-once-helper

## 🧠 Introduction

When building Laravel applications, it's common to run into scenarios where the same logic or query is executed multiple
times in a single request. This can become inefficient, especially if the operation is heavy or touches the database.

Laravel provides a neat solution for this: the [`once()`](https://laravel.com/docs/11.x/helpers#method-once) helper.

Let’s explore how it works and when you should use it.

---

## 🔍 What is `once()`?

The `once()` helper executes a given closure just **once per request**, caching the result. On subsequent calls (with
the same closure), Laravel returns the previously computed value instead of re-running the logic.

```php
once(Closure $callback): mixed
```

Think of it as a simple, request-bound memory cache — no Redis, files, or databases involved.

---

## 🧠 Why Use `once()` ?

* ✅ Avoid repeated expensive logic (e.g., database queries)
* ✅ Improve performance without needing full caching setup
* ✅ Keep your code clean and stateless
* ✅ Works great in service classes, Blade templates, or anywhere inside a request

---

## 💡 Real-World Use Case

Imagine you’re fetching user permissions that involve a complex database relationship:

```php
$permissions = auth()->user()->permissions;
```

If you do this multiple times in a single request, you’ll hit the database repeatedly.
Instead, use` once()`:

```php
$permissions = once(fn () => auth()->user()->permissions);
```

Now, no matter how many times you call that line during the request, the query runs just once.

---

## 🧪 Another Example

```php
<?php

function appSettings(): array
{
    return once(function () {
        return \App\Models\Setting::pluck('value', 'key')->toArray();
    });
}

// You can now call appSettings() multiple times within the request
// without hitting the database again.
```

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## ✅ When Should You Use `once()`?

* Complex or repeated DB queries
* API calls (within same request)
* Expensive computations
* Reading config or settings stored in the database

---

## 🚫 When Not to Use It

* If the data must change dynamically during the same request
* If you need to persist data between requests — use Laravel’s cache for that

---

## 🧵 Pro Tip

You can combine `once()` with helper functions to cache inline logic cleanly: `helper.php`

```php
function currentWorkspace()
{
    return once(fn () => auth()->user()->workspaces()->first());
}
```

## 🛠 Alternative: Using userOnce Property in a Class

You can also cache results in a class property — like userOnce — which works similarly to `once()` but is scoped to the
class instance:

```php
class User extends Authenticatable
{
    protected $userOnce;

    public function authUser()
    {
        return $this->userOnce ??= auth()->user();
    }
}
```

> This approach is useful when working within services or models where object-scoped caching is appropriate.

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## 📚 Conclusion

The `once()` helper may look small, but it solves a real performance bottleneck in many Laravel apps — without needing
complex caching strategies.

Next time you find yourself calling the same method repeatedly in a single request, wrap it in `once()` and enjoy
faster,
cleaner code.

---