Optimizing MySQL Queries for High Traffic Applications

Database performance is often the bottleneck in web applications. Here are techniques I've used to optimize MySQL queries in production.

Identify Slow Queries

Enable the slow query log and use EXPLAIN to understand query execution plans.

Indexing Strategy

Create composite indexes for queries with multiple WHERE conditions. Avoid over-indexing as it slows down writes.

Query Caching

Implement application-level caching for expensive queries using Redis or Memcached.