PHP Maximum execution time of N seconds exceeded

1. About the error
2. Why do I see this error
3. Solution
4. Raise the limit
5. The real fix: don't do slow work in a request

#About the error

PHP Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded

PHP caps how long a single script may run with the max_execution_time setting (default 30 seconds for web requests). When a script exceeds it, PHP terminates it mid-run, which usually surfaces as a 500 error or a half-rendered page.

#Why do I see this error

• A slow database query, often a missing index.
• Heavy work done inside a web request: large exports, image processing, sending many emails.
• A slow or hanging external API call.
• An accidental infinite loop.

Note that max_execution_time counts CPU time of the script itself, not time spent waiting on the database or external calls on all platforms, but on a typical web request the practical effect is a hard ceiling on how long the page can take.

#Solution

#Raise the limit

In php.ini:

max_execution_time = 120

For a single CLI command without touching config:

php -d max_execution_time=300 artisan some:command

Reload PHP-FPM after editing php.ini:

systemctl reload php8.3-fpm

Remember nginx has its own timeout in front of PHP, if it's lower, nginx gives up first with a 504 Gateway Timeout. Both need to be raised together.

#The real fix: don't do slow work in a request

CLI scripts (like artisan commands) default to no time limit, so the right home for slow work is a background queue, not the request cycle. In Laravel, dispatch it:

ProcessExport::dispatch($user);

The request returns instantly and the heavy lifting happens on a worker. Combine that with adding the missing database index and the timeout disappears for good. If the script is dying on memory rather than time, see PHP allowed memory size exhausted.