The Offset Massacre — Why Cursor Pagination is Mandatory (2026)

Efficient Pagination: Moving Beyond OFFSET for Scalable Data Retrieval Many applications rely on pagination to display large datasets, from product catalogs to social media feeds. While the OFFSET and LIMIT clauses are commonly taught for this purpose, they often become a significant performance bottleneck as data volumes grow. This article explores the inherent issues with OFFSET -based pagination and presents a more robust, scalable alternative: cursor-based pagination. The Hidden Costs of Dee