Optimizing database queries is arguably one of the fastest ways to improve the performance of the Rails applications. There are multiple ways how you can approach it, depending on the kind of a problem. N+1 queries seem to be a pretty common issue, which is, fortunately, easy to address. However, sometimes you have some relatively simple-looking queries that seem to take way longer than they should be, indicating that they might require some optimization. The best way to improve such queries is adding a proper index.

But what does “proper index” mean? How to figure out what kind of index is exactly needed for a given query? Here are some essential facts and tips that should cover a majority of the queries you may encounter and make your database no longer a bottleneck.

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