PHP Log Aggregation Performance Tuning: Database vs. Application Layer - The Ultimate Showdown for Millions of Records

When aggregating millions of logs, PHP developers often face a dilemma: rely on the database's power or process data in the application layer? This article dives deep into three common strategies: optimized database aggregation, query splitting (the N+1 problem), and in-memory PHP processing. Through a performance comparison of a real-world SQL query scenario, we reveal the best practices for efficient log aggregation on resource-constrained servers and how to avoid common performance pitfalls.