ghostfolio/.agents/skills/nestjs-best-practices/rules/perf-optimize-database.md

title	impact	impactDescription	tags
Optimize Database Queries	HIGH	Database queries are typically the largest source of latency	performance, database, queries, optimization

Optimize Database Queries

Select only needed columns, use proper indexes, avoid over-fetching relations, and consider query performance when designing your data access. Most API slowness traces back to inefficient database queries.

Incorrect (over-fetching data and missing indexes):

// Select everything when you need few fields
@Injectable()
export class UsersService {
  async findAllEmails(): Promise<string[]> {
    const users = await this.repo.find();
    // Fetches ALL columns for ALL users
    return users.map((u) => u.email);
  }

  async getUserSummary(id: string): Promise<UserSummary> {
    const user = await this.repo.findOne({
      where: { id },
      relations: ['posts', 'posts.comments', 'posts.comments.author', 'followers'],
    });
    // Over-fetches massive relation tree
    return { name: user.name, postCount: user.posts.length };
  }
}

// No indexes on frequently queried columns
@Entity()
export class Order {
  @Column()
  userId: string; // No index - full table scan on every lookup

  @Column()
  status: string; // No index - slow status filtering
}

Correct (select only needed data with proper indexes):

// Select only needed columns
@Injectable()
export class UsersService {
  async findAllEmails(): Promise<string[]> {
    const users = await this.repo.find({
      select: ['email'], // Only fetch email column
    });
    return users.map((u) => u.email);
  }

  // Use QueryBuilder for complex selections
  async getUserSummary(id: string): Promise<UserSummary> {
    return this.repo
      .createQueryBuilder('user')
      .select('user.name', 'name')
      .addSelect('COUNT(post.id)', 'postCount')
      .leftJoin('user.posts', 'post')
      .where('user.id = :id', { id })
      .groupBy('user.id')
      .getRawOne();
  }

  // Fetch relations only when needed
  async getFullProfile(id: string): Promise<User> {
    return this.repo.findOne({
      where: { id },
      relations: ['posts'], // Only immediate relation
      select: {
        id: true,
        name: true,
        email: true,
        posts: {
          id: true,
          title: true,
        },
      },
    });
  }
}

// Add indexes on frequently queried columns
@Entity()
@Index(['userId'])
@Index(['status'])
@Index(['createdAt'])
@Index(['userId', 'status']) // Composite index for common query pattern
export class Order {
  @PrimaryGeneratedColumn('uuid')
  id: string;

  @Column()
  userId: string;

  @Column()
  status: string;

  @CreateDateColumn()
  createdAt: Date;
}

// Always paginate large datasets
@Injectable()
export class OrdersService {
  async findAll(page = 1, limit = 20): Promise<PaginatedResult<Order>> {
    const [items, total] = await this.repo.findAndCount({
      skip: (page - 1) * limit,
      take: limit,
      order: { createdAt: 'DESC' },
    });

    return {
      items,
      meta: {
        page,
        limit,
        total,
        totalPages: Math.ceil(total / limit),
      },
    };
  }
}

Reference: TypeORM Query Builder