Queue Commands Reference

Complete reference for all queue-related Artisan commands in the Volare application.

Custom Commands

queue:test

Dispatch a test job to verify queue functionality.

./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:test

What it does:

• Dispatches a TestQueueJob with a test message
• Confirms job was queued successfully
• Provides next steps for monitoring

queue:monitor

Display current queue status and pending jobs.

./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:monitor

Example Output:

Queue Status:
Pending jobs: 5
Failed jobs: 0

Pro tip: Use with watch for live monitoring:

watch -n 2 './vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:monitor'

Laravel Queue Commands

queue:work

Start processing jobs on the queue.

./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:work [connection] [options]

Important Options:

Option	Description
--queue=	Queues to process (comma-separated, priority order)
--once	Process single job then exit
--stop-when-empty	Stop when queue is empty
--sleep=	Seconds to sleep when no jobs available (default: 3)
--tries=	Number of times to attempt a job (default: 1)
--timeout=	Maximum seconds a job should run (default: 60)
--max-time=	Maximum seconds worker should run
--max-jobs=	Maximum jobs to process before stopping
--memory=	Memory limit in MB (default: 128)

Examples:

# Default queue worker (used in docker-compose.yml)
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:work --sleep=3 --tries=3 --max-time=3600

# Process specific queue with priority
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:work --queue=high-priority,default

# Process one job and exit
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:work --once

queue:listen

Listen to a queue and process jobs (with code reload).

./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:listen [connection] [options]

Difference from queue:work:

• Restarts framework on each job (slower but picks up code changes)
• No need to manually restart after code changes
• Not recommended for production

queue:restart

Signal all queue workers to restart after current job.

./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:restart

When to use:

• After deploying code changes
• After config changes
• After dependency updates

queue:retry

Retry failed jobs.

./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:retry [id]

Examples:

# Retry all failed jobs
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:retry all

# Retry specific failed job
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:retry 9e3e9e3e-9e3e-9e3e-9e3e-9e3e9e3e9e3e

# Retry jobs from specific queue
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:retry all --queue=payments

queue:forget

Delete a failed job.

./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:forget [id]

queue:flush

Delete all failed jobs.

./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:flush

Warning: Use with caution in production!

queue:failed

List all failed jobs.

./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:failed

Get detailed info:

./vendor/bin/sail artisan tinker
>>> $failed = DB::table('failed_jobs')->latest()->first();
>>> echo $failed->exception;

queue:clear

Delete all jobs from a queue.

./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:clear database --queue=emails

queue:prune-failed

Prune stale failed jobs.

# Prune jobs older than 24 hours (default)
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:prune-failed

# Prune jobs older than 7 days
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:prune-failed --hours=168

queue:prune-batches

Prune stale batch records.

./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:prune-batches --hours=720

Common Workflows

Development Workflow

# 1. Start development environment
./vendor/bin/sail up -d

# 2. Verify queue is working
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:test

# 3. Monitor queue status
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:monitor

# 4. Make code changes to job
vim app/Jobs/ProcessPayment.php

# 5. Restart workers to pick up changes
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:restart

# 6. Test your job
./vendor/bin/sail artisan tinker
>>> ProcessPayment::dispatch($orderId, 'credit_card');

# 7. Watch logs
./vendor/bin/sail artisan tail

Debugging Failed Jobs

# 1. List all failed jobs
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:failed

# 2. Get detailed error information
./vendor/bin/sail artisan tinker
>>> $failed = DB::table('failed_jobs')->latest()->first();
>>> echo $failed->exception;

# 3. Fix the underlying issue in code

# 4. Restart workers
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:restart

# 5. Retry the failed job
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:retry all

Production Deployment

# 1. Deploy new code
git pull origin main

# 2. Install dependencies
composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

# 3. Run migrations
php artisan migrate --force

# 4. Clear and rebuild cache
php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache
php artisan view:cache

# 5. Restart queue workers gracefully
php artisan queue:restart

# 6. Monitor queue health
php artisan queue:monitor

Emergency Procedures

Queue is Stuck:

# 1. Check what's in the queue
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:monitor

# 2. Check worker status
docker ps | grep queue

# 3. Restart worker container
./vendor/bin/sail restart queue

# 4. If still stuck, clear queue (CAUTION!)
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:clear database --queue=default

Too Many Failed Jobs:

# 1. Investigate cause
./vendor/bin/sail artisan tinker
>>> DB::table('failed_jobs')->latest()->first()->exception;

# 2. Fix underlying issue

# 3. Retry if fixable
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:retry all

# 4. Or flush if not recoverable
./vendor/bin/sail artisan queue:flush

Quick Reference Card

# Testing & Monitoring
queue:test              # Dispatch test job
queue:monitor           # Show queue status
queue:failed            # List failed jobs

# Worker Management
queue:work              # Start processing (in Docker)
queue:restart           # Gracefully restart workers

# Failed Job Management
queue:retry all         # Retry all failed jobs
queue:retry {id}        # Retry specific job
queue:forget {id}       # Delete failed job
queue:flush             # Delete all failed jobs

# Maintenance
queue:clear             # Clear pending jobs
queue:prune-failed      # Remove old failed jobs
queue:prune-batches     # Remove old batch records

# Logging & Debugging
artisan tail            # Follow Laravel logs
logs queue              # View worker logs (Sail)
tinker                  # Interactive console

Related Documentation

• Queue System - Queue infrastructure
• Creating Jobs Guide - How to create queue jobs