Maximum execution time exceeded

Error Message

Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded

Cause

A script ran longer than the PHP configured time limit. Common with large data processing, infinite loops, or slow external API calls.

Solution

Increase the time limit temporarily with set_time_limit(). Better yet, optimize the code, use queues for long tasks, or process data in chunks.

Code Example

Fix

// Increase time limit (temporary fix)
set_time_limit(300); // 5 minutes

// Better: use chunking for large datasets
Post::chunk(100, function ($posts) {
    foreach ($posts as $post) {
        // Process each chunk
        $this->processPost($post);
    }
});

// Best: use queues for heavy processing
ProcessLargeDatasetJob::dispatch()->onQueue('long-running');

Debugging Steps

Identify which part of the code is slow
Check for infinite loops
Profile database queries for N+1 issues
Check external API call timeouts
Monitor memory usage

Prevention

Use chunking for large datasets. Offload heavy work to queues. Set appropriate timeouts for external calls. Profile code regularly.