Slow Response in Fetching Payload CMS Data (9-12sec)

[Sam15b]

I’m working on a blog content project using Payload CMS and noticed an unusual issue with response times. Normally, I don’t face such delays, but in this project, fetching data from Payload takes around 9–12 seconds, which creates a very poor user experience.

My project is focused on blog creation, where I’ve implemented blocks and rich text fields.
To improve performance, I’ve already tried:

1. Adding indexes to collection columns
2. Caching the data
3. Limiting the response size
4. Reducing query depth

Unfortunately, none of these approaches solved the issue.

Environment details:

• Payload CMS: ^3.46.0
• Node.js: v22.17.0
• Database: Postgres (Neon)

Can anyone help me understand why this might be happening and suggest possible optimizations for improving Payload response times in this type of use case?
Also, if any collection definitions or data fetching or any payload config details logic are needed for debugging, I’d be happy to share them.

[tyteen4a03]

Yes, we'll need your schema to debug. Also consider the distance between your app server and DB, and the plan your DB uses (Neon free only gives you 2 vCPU)

[Sam15b]

Okay, yes — the issue I’m facing seems to be due to Neon’s 2 vCPU limit. I tested the same code on MongoDB Atlas and found that my application was running smoothly there.

Now I’ll upgrade my Neon plan and check what response times I getting.

Thanku

[Sam15b]

Also, my Neon DB is located in Sydney and I’ve deployed the application on Vercel, so I don’t think the issue is related to location.
What I want to understand is how many CPU resources my app may actually need in order for the response time to be fast. I’ve already increased the Neon plan to 4 vCPUs, but the response time is still slow.