Using Eloquent ORM in Laravel to perform search of database using LIKE

Stefan Bogdanescu

Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29

Laravel Company

Whether you're building a massive application or just starting out, being able to search and find the right data efficiently is crucial. In this blog post, we'll explore using Eloquent Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) in your Laravel project for LIKE searches. We'll discuss best practices and provide code examples to help you get started.

What is Eloquent ORM?

Eloquent Object-Relational Mapping, or Eloquent for short, is a component of the Laravel PHP framework that provides an elegant interface for managing database tables and their relationships. It simplifies working with databases by abstracting out repetitive tasks like making queries and defining relationships between models.

Performing LIKE Queries Using Eloquent

To perform a search using LIKE, you must use the 'where' method provided by Eloquent ORM. This enables you to construct complex SQL statements with ease. Let's say we have a table named "users" and want to find users whose names start with "john". Here's how you can do it:
php
User::where('name', 'like', 'John%')->get();
The above code uses the 'like' method, specifying the column name and pattern to search. The '%' wildcard is used for partial matches. If you want to search for exact matches or use other operators like '>', '<', or '=', you can use Eloquent's 'whereRaw' method:
php
User::where('name', 'like', 'John%')->get();
Alternatively, you may want to filter your search by multiple conditions. To do this efficiently, consider using the 'orWhere' and 'whereIn' methods for searching with different criteria:
php
User::where('name', 'like', 'John%')
    ->orWhere('city', '=', 'Manchester')
    ->orWhere(function($query) {
        $query->where('country', '=', 'England')
            ->where('age_range', '>=', 18);
    })
    ->get();

Best Practices for LIKE Queries with Eloquent ORM

To maintain efficient performance, it's essential to follow these best practices when performing LIKE searches: 1. Combine multiple search conditions to improve performance. Use 'orWhere', 'whereIn', and other methods to increase query efficiency. 2. Avoid using a wildcard without an explicit starting character. For example, instead of searching '%john%', use 'John%' to narrow down the results. 3. Always include an index on the column you're performing searches on if possible. This will improve database performance drastically.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we learned how to leverage Eloquent ORM for effective LIKE queries in Laravel applications. By understanding its 'where', 'orWhere', and other methods, you can create efficient searches across your database tables. Remember to incorporate best practices such as using wildcards wisely, combining search conditions, and maintaining proper indexes in your columns. Happy coding!