diff --git a/PLAN.md b/PLAN.md
index 5d3fd05..2c65e6b 100644
--- a/PLAN.md
+++ b/PLAN.md
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ DELETE /api/jobs/{id}/save    - Unsave job
 ## Phase 8: Performance Optimization
 
 ### 8.1 Caching Strategy
-- Cache job listings (Redis/Memcached)
+- Cache job listings (Redis)
 - Cache search results (5-15 minutes)
 - Cache categories and locations
 - Cache statistics/counters
diff --git a/app/Console/Commands/OptimizeDatabaseCommand.php b/app/Console/Commands/OptimizeDatabaseCommand.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2070af0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Console/Commands/OptimizeDatabaseCommand.php
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Console\Commands;
+
+use App\Services\QueryOptimizationService;
+use Illuminate\Console\Attributes\Description;
+use Illuminate\Console\Attributes\Signature;
+use Illuminate\Console\Command;
+
+#[Signature('db:optimize')]
+#[Description('Optimize database tables and analyze statistics')]
+class OptimizeDatabaseCommand extends Command
+{
+    public function __construct(
+        private QueryOptimizationService $optimizationService
+    ) {
+        parent::__construct();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Execute the console command.
+     */
+    public function handle(): int
+    {
+        $this->info('Starting database optimization...');
+
+        $tables = [
+            'jobs',
+            'job_categories',
+            'job_sources',
+            'job_locations',
+            'api_logs',
+            'job_fetch_logs',
+            'analytics_events',
+        ];
+
+        foreach ($tables as $table) {
+            $this->info("Optimizing table: {$table}");
+
+            try {
+                // Optimize table (defragment and rebuild indexes)
+                $this->optimizationService->optimizeTable($table);
+                $this->line("  ✓ Optimized");
+
+                // Analyze table statistics
+                $this->optimizationService->analyzeTable($table);
+                $this->line("  ✓ Analyzed");
+
+                // Get table stats
+                $stats = $this->optimizationService->getTableStats($table);
+                if ($stats) {
+                    $this->line("  Size: {$stats['size_mb']} MB (Data: {$stats['data_size_mb']} MB, Indexes: {$stats['index_size_mb']} MB)");
+                    $this->line("  Rows: " . number_format($stats['table_rows']));
+                }
+
+                $this->newLine();
+            } catch (\Exception $e) {
+                $this->error("  ✗ Failed: " . $e->getMessage());
+            }
+        }
+
+        $this->info('Database optimization completed!');
+
+        return self::SUCCESS;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Repositories/JobRepository.php b/app/Repositories/JobRepository.php
index 9164ba2..98f6497 100644
--- a/app/Repositories/JobRepository.php
+++ b/app/Repositories/JobRepository.php
@@ -3,11 +3,15 @@
 namespace App\Repositories;
 
 use App\Models\Job;
+use App\Services\CacheService;
 use Illuminate\Contracts\Pagination\LengthAwarePaginator;
 use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Collection;
 
 class JobRepository
 {
+    public function __construct(
+        private CacheService $cacheService
+    ) {}
     /**
      * Get all active jobs with pagination
      */
@@ -124,24 +128,28 @@ class JobRepository
      */
     public function getFeaturedJobs(int $limit = 10): Collection
     {
-        // First, build a subquery with window function
-        $subQuery = \DB::table('jobs')
-            ->selectRaw('jobs.*, ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY job_source_id ORDER BY posted_at DESC) as rn')
-            ->whereNull('deleted_at')
-            ->where(function ($query) {
-                $query->whereNull('expires_at')
-                      ->orWhere('expires_at', '>', now());
-            });
+        $cacheKey = $this->cacheService->featuredJobsKey($limit);
 
-        // Then query from that subquery filtering by rn
-        // Use withoutGlobalScopes to prevent SoftDeletes from adding WHERE clause
-        return Job::withoutGlobalScopes()
-            ->with(['source', 'category', 'jobLocation'])
-            ->fromSub($subQuery, 'ranked_jobs')
-            ->whereRaw('ranked_jobs.rn <= 2')
-            ->orderBy('posted_at', 'desc')
-            ->limit($limit)
-            ->get();
+        return $this->cacheService->rememberWithTags(['jobs'], $cacheKey, CacheService::CACHE_FEATURED_JOBS, function () use ($limit) {
+            // First, build a subquery with window function
+            $subQuery = \DB::table('jobs')
+                ->selectRaw('jobs.*, ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY job_source_id ORDER BY posted_at DESC) as rn')
+                ->whereNull('deleted_at')
+                ->where(function ($query) {
+                    $query->whereNull('expires_at')
+                          ->orWhere('expires_at', '>', now());
+                });
+
+            // Then query from that subquery filtering by rn
+            // Use withoutGlobalScopes to prevent SoftDeletes from adding WHERE clause
+            return Job::withoutGlobalScopes()
+                ->with(['source', 'category', 'jobLocation'])
+                ->fromSub($subQuery, 'ranked_jobs')
+                ->whereRaw('ranked_jobs.rn <= 2')
+                ->orderBy('posted_at', 'desc')
+                ->limit($limit)
+                ->get();
+        });
     }
 
     /**
@@ -149,27 +157,31 @@ class JobRepository
      */
     public function getStatistics(): array
     {
-        $total = Job::count();
-        $active = Job::active()->count();
-        $remote = Job::active()->remote()->count();
-        $recentlyAdded = Job::where('created_at', '>=', now()->subDays(7))->count();
+        $cacheKey = $this->cacheService->statisticsKey();
 
-        $topCategories = Job::active()
-            ->select('job_category_id', \DB::raw('COUNT(*) as count'))
-            ->whereNotNull('job_category_id')
-            ->groupBy('job_category_id')
-            ->orderBy('count', 'desc')
-            ->limit(5)
-            ->with('category')
-            ->get();
+        return $this->cacheService->remember($cacheKey, CacheService::CACHE_STATISTICS, function () {
+            $total = Job::count();
+            $active = Job::active()->count();
+            $remote = Job::active()->remote()->count();
+            $recentlyAdded = Job::where('created_at', '>=', now()->subDays(7))->count();
 
-        return [
-            'total_jobs' => $total,
-            'active_jobs' => $active,
-            'remote_jobs' => $remote,
-            'recently_added' => $recentlyAdded,
-            'top_categories' => $topCategories,
-        ];
+            $topCategories = Job::active()
+                ->select('job_category_id', \DB::raw('COUNT(*) as count'))
+                ->whereNotNull('job_category_id')
+                ->groupBy('job_category_id')
+                ->orderBy('count', 'desc')
+                ->limit(5)
+                ->with('category')
+                ->get();
+
+            return [
+                'total_jobs' => $total,
+                'active_jobs' => $active,
+                'remote_jobs' => $remote,
+                'recently_added' => $recentlyAdded,
+                'top_categories' => $topCategories,
+            ];
+        });
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/app/Services/CacheService.php b/app/Services/CacheService.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d3a257d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Services/CacheService.php
@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Services;
+
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache;
+
+class CacheService
+{
+    // Cache durations (in seconds)
+    const CACHE_JOB_LISTINGS = 300; // 5 minutes
+    const CACHE_SEARCH_RESULTS = 600; // 10 minutes
+    const CACHE_CATEGORIES = 3600; // 1 hour
+    const CACHE_STATISTICS = 1800; // 30 minutes
+    const CACHE_FILTER_OPTIONS = 3600; // 1 hour
+    const CACHE_FEATURED_JOBS = 900; // 15 minutes
+
+    /**
+     * Generate cache key for job listings
+     */
+    public function jobListingsKey(array $filters = [], int $page = 1, int $perPage = 20): string
+    {
+        ksort($filters);
+        return 'jobs:list:' . md5(serialize($filters) . ":{$page}:{$perPage}");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Generate cache key for search results
+     */
+    public function searchResultsKey(array $filters = [], int $page = 1): string
+    {
+        ksort($filters);
+        return 'jobs:search:' . md5(serialize($filters) . ":{$page}");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Generate cache key for job details
+     */
+    public function jobDetailsKey(int $jobId): string
+    {
+        return "job:details:{$jobId}";
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Generate cache key for categories
+     */
+    public function categoriesKey(): string
+    {
+        return 'categories:all';
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Generate cache key for category jobs
+     */
+    public function categoryJobsKey(int $categoryId, int $page = 1): string
+    {
+        return "category:{$categoryId}:jobs:{$page}";
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Generate cache key for statistics
+     */
+    public function statisticsKey(): string
+    {
+        return 'stats:dashboard';
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Generate cache key for filter options
+     */
+    public function filterOptionsKey(): string
+    {
+        return 'filters:options';
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Generate cache key for featured jobs
+     */
+    public function featuredJobsKey(int $limit = 10): string
+    {
+        return "jobs:featured:{$limit}";
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Generate cache key for recent jobs
+     */
+    public function recentJobsKey(int $days = 7, int $limit = 6): string
+    {
+        return "jobs:recent:{$days}:{$limit}";
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Clear job-related caches
+     */
+    public function clearJobCaches(): void
+    {
+        Cache::tags(['jobs'])->flush();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Clear category caches
+     */
+    public function clearCategoryCaches(): void
+    {
+        Cache::tags(['categories'])->flush();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Clear statistics caches
+     */
+    public function clearStatisticsCaches(): void
+    {
+        Cache::forget($this->statisticsKey());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Clear all application caches
+     */
+    public function clearAllCaches(): void
+    {
+        Cache::flush();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Remember with tags (for better cache management)
+     */
+    public function rememberWithTags(array $tags, string $key, int $ttl, callable $callback)
+    {
+        return Cache::tags($tags)->remember($key, $ttl, $callback);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get cached value or store new one
+     */
+    public function remember(string $key, int $ttl, callable $callback)
+    {
+        return Cache::remember($key, $ttl, $callback);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get from cache
+     */
+    public function get(string $key, $default = null)
+    {
+        return Cache::get($key, $default);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Put value in cache
+     */
+    public function put(string $key, $value, int $ttl): bool
+    {
+        return Cache::put($key, $value, $ttl);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Forget cache key
+     */
+    public function forget(string $key): bool
+    {
+        return Cache::forget($key);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Increment counter (useful for statistics)
+     */
+    public function increment(string $key, int $value = 1): int
+    {
+        return Cache::increment($key, $value);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Decrement counter
+     */
+    public function decrement(string $key, int $value = 1): int
+    {
+        return Cache::decrement($key, $value);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Services/JobSearchService.php b/app/Services/JobSearchService.php
index 2d48818..af4adb6 100644
--- a/app/Services/JobSearchService.php
+++ b/app/Services/JobSearchService.php
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Builder;
 
 class JobSearchService
 {
+    public function __construct(
+        private CacheService $cacheService
+    ) {}
     /**
      * Search jobs with advanced filters
      */
@@ -188,36 +191,40 @@ class JobSearchService
      */
     public function getFilterOptions(): array
     {
-        return [
-            'job_types' => [
-                'full-time' => 'Full-time',
-                'part-time' => 'Part-time',
-                'contract' => 'Contract',
-                'temporary' => 'Temporary',
-                'internship' => 'Internship',
-                'freelance' => 'Freelance',
-            ],
-            'experience_levels' => [
-                'entry' => 'Entry Level',
-                'mid' => 'Mid Level',
-                'senior' => 'Senior Level',
-                'lead' => 'Lead',
-                'executive' => 'Executive',
-            ],
-            'posted_within' => [
-                1 => 'Last 24 hours',
-                7 => 'Last 7 days',
-                30 => 'Last 30 days',
-                90 => 'Last 3 months',
-            ],
-            'sort_options' => [
-                'date' => 'Most Recent',
-                'date_asc' => 'Oldest First',
-                'salary_desc' => 'Highest Salary',
-                'salary_asc' => 'Lowest Salary',
-                'title' => 'Title A-Z',
-                'company' => 'Company A-Z',
-            ],
-        ];
+        $cacheKey = $this->cacheService->filterOptionsKey();
+
+        return $this->cacheService->remember($cacheKey, CacheService::CACHE_FILTER_OPTIONS, function () {
+            // Get actual distinct values from database for job types and experience levels
+            $jobTypes = Job::select('job_type')
+                ->whereNotNull('job_type')
+                ->distinct()
+                ->pluck('job_type')
+                ->toArray();
+
+            $experienceLevels = Job::select('experience_level')
+                ->whereNotNull('experience_level')
+                ->distinct()
+                ->pluck('experience_level')
+                ->toArray();
+
+            return [
+                'job_types' => $jobTypes,
+                'experience_levels' => $experienceLevels,
+                'posted_within' => [
+                    1 => 'Last 24 hours',
+                    7 => 'Last 7 days',
+                    30 => 'Last 30 days',
+                    90 => 'Last 3 months',
+                ],
+                'sort_options' => [
+                    'date' => 'Most Recent',
+                    'date_asc' => 'Oldest First',
+                    'salary_desc' => 'Highest Salary',
+                    'salary_asc' => 'Lowest Salary',
+                    'title' => 'Title A-Z',
+                    'company' => 'Company A-Z',
+                ],
+            ];
+        });
     }
 }
diff --git a/app/Services/QueryOptimizationService.php b/app/Services/QueryOptimizationService.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a2e69e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Services/QueryOptimizationService.php
@@ -0,0 +1,195 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Services;
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Builder;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
+
+class QueryOptimizationService
+{
+    /**
+     * Add eager loading constraints to prevent N+1 queries
+     */
+    public function eagerLoadJobRelations(Builder $query): Builder
+    {
+        return $query->with([
+            'source:id,name',
+            'category:id,name,slug,icon',
+            'jobLocation:id,city,state,country',
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Optimize job listing query
+     */
+    public function optimizeJobListingQuery(Builder $query): Builder
+    {
+        return $query
+            ->select([
+                'id',
+                'title',
+                'company',
+                'location',
+                'job_type',
+                'experience_level',
+                'salary_min',
+                'salary_max',
+                'salary_currency',
+                'remote_allowed',
+                'posted_at',
+                'job_source_id',
+                'job_category_id',
+                'job_location_id',
+                'created_at',
+            ])
+            ->with([
+                'source:id,name',
+                'category:id,name,slug,icon',
+                'jobLocation:id,city,state,country',
+            ]);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Analyze slow queries
+     */
+    public function analyzeSlowQueries(int $threshold = 1000): array
+    {
+        // Enable query logging
+        DB::enableQueryLog();
+
+        // Get queries that took longer than threshold (in milliseconds)
+        $queries = DB::getQueryLog();
+
+        $slowQueries = array_filter($queries, function ($query) use ($threshold) {
+            return ($query['time'] ?? 0) > $threshold;
+        });
+
+        return array_map(function ($query) {
+            return [
+                'query' => $query['query'],
+                'bindings' => $query['bindings'],
+                'time' => $query['time'] . 'ms',
+            ];
+        }, $slowQueries);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get query explain plan
+     */
+    public function explainQuery(string $sql, array $bindings = []): array
+    {
+        $explained = DB::select('EXPLAIN ' . $sql, $bindings);
+
+        return array_map(function ($row) {
+            return (array) $row;
+        }, $explained);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Optimize table (defragment and rebuild indexes)
+     */
+    public function optimizeTable(string $table): void
+    {
+        DB::statement("OPTIMIZE TABLE {$table}");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Analyze table statistics for query optimizer
+     */
+    public function analyzeTable(string $table): void
+    {
+        DB::statement("ANALYZE TABLE {$table}");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get table size and index statistics
+     */
+    public function getTableStats(string $table): array
+    {
+        $stats = DB::select("
+            SELECT
+                table_name,
+                ROUND(((data_length + index_length) / 1024 / 1024), 2) AS size_mb,
+                table_rows,
+                ROUND((data_length / 1024 / 1024), 2) AS data_size_mb,
+                ROUND((index_length / 1024 / 1024), 2) AS index_size_mb
+            FROM information_schema.TABLES
+            WHERE table_schema = DATABASE()
+            AND table_name = ?
+        ", [$table]);
+
+        return $stats ? (array) $stats[0] : [];
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get index usage statistics
+     */
+    public function getIndexStats(string $table): array
+    {
+        $stats = DB::select("
+            SELECT
+                index_name,
+                column_name,
+                seq_in_index,
+                cardinality,
+                index_type
+            FROM information_schema.STATISTICS
+            WHERE table_schema = DATABASE()
+            AND table_name = ?
+            ORDER BY index_name, seq_in_index
+        ", [$table]);
+
+        return array_map(function ($row) {
+            return (array) $row;
+        }, $stats);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Check for missing indexes based on slow queries
+     */
+    public function suggestIndexes(string $table): array
+    {
+        $suggestions = [];
+
+        // Get columns that are frequently used in WHERE clauses without indexes
+        $unindexedColumns = DB::select("
+            SELECT DISTINCT column_name
+            FROM information_schema.COLUMNS
+            WHERE table_schema = DATABASE()
+            AND table_name = ?
+            AND column_name NOT IN (
+                SELECT column_name
+                FROM information_schema.STATISTICS
+                WHERE table_schema = DATABASE()
+                AND table_name = ?
+            )
+        ", [$table, $table]);
+
+        foreach ($unindexedColumns as $column) {
+            $suggestions[] = [
+                'type' => 'missing_index',
+                'table' => $table,
+                'column' => $column->column_name,
+                'suggestion' => "Consider adding an index on {$column->column_name}",
+            ];
+        }
+
+        return $suggestions;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Chunk large queries to reduce memory usage
+     */
+    public function chunkQuery(Builder $query, int $chunkSize, callable $callback): void
+    {
+        $query->chunk($chunkSize, $callback);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Use cursor for memory-efficient iteration
+     */
+    public function cursorQuery(Builder $query): \Illuminate\Support\LazyCollection
+    {
+        return $query->cursor();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/database/migrations/2026_04_03_175345_add_performance_indexes_to_jobs_table.php b/database/migrations/2026_04_03_175345_add_performance_indexes_to_jobs_table.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..33ead9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/migrations/2026_04_03_175345_add_performance_indexes_to_jobs_table.php
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+return new class extends Migration
+{
+    /**
+     * Run the migrations.
+     */
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('jobs', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            // Single column indexes for common filters
+            $table->index('posted_at', 'idx_jobs_posted_at');
+            $table->index('job_type', 'idx_jobs_type');
+            $table->index('experience_level', 'idx_jobs_experience');
+            $table->index('remote_allowed', 'idx_jobs_remote');
+            $table->index('created_at', 'idx_jobs_created_at');
+            $table->index('expires_at', 'idx_jobs_expires_at');
+
+            // Composite indexes for common query patterns
+            $table->index(['job_category_id', 'posted_at'], 'idx_jobs_category_posted');
+            $table->index(['job_type', 'posted_at'], 'idx_jobs_type_posted');
+            $table->index(['remote_allowed', 'posted_at'], 'idx_jobs_remote_posted');
+            $table->index(['job_source_id', 'posted_at'], 'idx_jobs_source_posted');
+            $table->index(['expires_at', 'deleted_at'], 'idx_jobs_expires_deleted');
+
+            // Full-text index for search (if not already exists)
+            DB::statement('ALTER TABLE jobs ADD FULLTEXT idx_jobs_search (title, company, description)');
+        });
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Reverse the migrations.
+     */
+    public function down(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('jobs', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            // Drop single column indexes
+            $table->dropIndex('idx_jobs_posted_at');
+            $table->dropIndex('idx_jobs_type');
+            $table->dropIndex('idx_jobs_experience');
+            $table->dropIndex('idx_jobs_remote');
+            $table->dropIndex('idx_jobs_created_at');
+            $table->dropIndex('idx_jobs_expires_at');
+
+            // Drop composite indexes
+            $table->dropIndex('idx_jobs_category_posted');
+            $table->dropIndex('idx_jobs_type_posted');
+            $table->dropIndex('idx_jobs_remote_posted');
+            $table->dropIndex('idx_jobs_source_posted');
+            $table->dropIndex('idx_jobs_expires_deleted');
+
+            // Drop full-text index
+            DB::statement('ALTER TABLE jobs DROP INDEX idx_jobs_search');
+        });
+    }
+};