Laravel Eager Loading: Fetch Specific Columns in Relationships Using load()

While with() eager loads relationships upfront, load() lazy-loads them after the parent query. Here’s how to make load() efficient by fetching only specific columns.

How to Use load() with Column Selection

Method:1 Basic Column Selection

public function show(Post $post)
{
    return $post->load('author:id,name');
}

• Works identically to with() but after the initial query.

Method:2 Advanced Filtering with Closures

$posts->load(['author' => function ($query) {
    $query->select('id', 'name')->where('active', true);
}]);

Use Case: Conditional loading (e.g., only active authors).

Performance Tip

Combine load() with select() on the parent model:

$posts = Post::select('id', 'title')->get();
$posts->load('author:id,name'); // Only loads needed columns!

Choose the method that best fits your specific use case and application architecture.

Happy Coding! 😊