Implementing Queues in Laravel for Notifications

Queues in Laravel are a game-changer for improving application performance, especially when sending emails, generating reports, or handling resource-intensive tasks. But what if you want to queue notifications (like emails) without creating a separate job file? Laravel’s built-in notification system and queue integration make this effortless! Here’s how to do it.

Why Use Queues for Notifications?

• No Extra Job Classes Needed: Laravel notifications can be queued natively.
• Simpler Code: Handle email logic directly in notifications while still leveraging queues.
• Automatic Retries: Failed notifications are tracked and can be retried later.
• Better User Experience: Send emails asynchronously without delaying HTTP responses.

Step 1: Configure the Queue Driver

First, set up your queue driver in .env. We’ll use the database driver for simplicity:

QUEUE_CONNECTION=database

Create the required tables for queues (note: in laravel 12 by defaul already have required queues tables):

php artisan queue:table
php artisan migrate

Step 2: Create a Queued Notification

Generate a notification class. This will handle email logic and queuing:

php artisan make:notification WelcomeEmailNotification

Open app/Notifications/WelcomeEmailNotification.php and modify it to implement queuing:

<?php

namespace App\Notifications;

use Illuminate\Bus\Queueable;
use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue; // Add this
use Illuminate\Notifications\Messages\MailMessage;
use Illuminate\Notifications\Notification;

// Implement ShouldQueue
class WelcomeEmailNotification extends Notification implements ShouldQueue
{
    use Queueable; // Enable queuing

    public function __construct()
    {
        // Add data if needed (e.g., user details)
    }

    public function via($notifiable)
    {
        return ['mail']; // Send via email
    }

    public function toMail($notifiable)
    {
        return (new MailMessage)
            ->subject('Welcome to Our Application!')
            ->line('Thank you for signing up!')
            ->action('Visit Dashboard', url('/dashboard'));
    }
}

By adding implements ShouldQueue, Laravel will automatically queue the notification.

Step 3: Dispatch the Notification

Trigger the notification from your controller or service. For example, when a user registers:

use App\Notifications\WelcomeEmailNotification;

public function register(User $user)
{
    // Queue the notification
    $user->notify(new WelcomeEmailNotification());

    return redirect('/home')->with('success', 'Welcome! Check your email.');
}

The notify() method dispatches the notification to the queue automatically.

Step 4: Run the Queue Worker

Start processing queued notifications with:

php artisan queue:work

This command listens for jobs (including notifications) and executes them. 

For production, use Supervisor to keep the worker running.

Why This Works

Under the hood, Laravel wraps the notification in a SendQueuedNotifications job class automatically. 

You don’t need to create a job file manually—just implement ShouldQueue in your notification, and Laravel handles the rest!

Conclusion

Queuing notifications in Laravel is incredibly straightforward. By leveraging the ShouldQueue interface, you can defer time-consuming tasks like sending emails without writing extra boilerplate code for jobs. This keeps your codebase clean while ensuring your application remains responsive.

Next Steps:

• Explore Laravel Notification Docs for more features (e.g., SMS, Slack).
• Use Laravel Horizon for advanced queue monitoring.
• Configure Supervisor for robust queue management in production.

Now go queue those notifications and turbocharge your app’s performance! 🚀

Happy Coding! 😊