Laravel Eloquent: “get()” vs “find()”

Laravel Eloquent: Laravel’s Eloquent ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) is a powerful tool that makes working with databases easier by letting writers use an object-oriented syntax. There are two popular ways to get data from a database: get() and find(). This article will explain the differences between them.

Laravel Eloquent The Basics:

The get() method and the find() method may look the same when you’re using Eloquent to access the database, but they are slightly different in ways that can change how you work with the data.

The get() Method:

You get a list of results when you use the get() method, even if there’s only one record that matches. Using Page::where('page', 'about-me')->get() in the given example gets all records that match the given conditions and puts them in a collection.

$about = Page::where('page', 'about-me')->get();

// Accessing data from the collection
@foreach ($about as $object)
    {{ $object->title }}
    {{ $object->content }}
@endforeach

The find() Method:

Though, the find() method only gives back one model instance by its main key. Page::find(3); in this case gets a single record with the ID 3.

$about = Page::find(3);

// Accessing data directly from the object
{{ $about->title }}
{{ $about->content }}

Real-World Examples:

In real life, let’s say you have a “pages” table with different material and you need to get information about the “About Me” page.

Example 1: Using get() Method

// Controller
public function index()
{
    $about = Page::where('page', 'about-me')->get();

    return view('about', compact('about'));
}

// View
@foreach ($about as $object)
    {{ $object->title }}
    {!! $object->content !!}
@endforeach

Example 2: Using find() Method

// Controller
public function index()
{
    $about = Page::find(3);

    return view('about', compact('about'));
}

// View
{{ $about->title }}
{!! $about->content !!}

Conclusion:

For Laravel development to go smoothly, you need to know when to use get() and when to use find(). If you need to get more than one record from a collection, use get(). If you need to get a single record by its primary key, use find().

For further insights into Laravel development, explore “Mastering Laravel Response Headers: A Comprehensive Guide with Examples” at pranabkalita.com.

By getting good at these little things in Laravel’s Eloquent, you can make your code run faster and make the development process easier.