---
title: "data pagination"
description: "OFFSET-based pagination scans all skipped rows, getting slower on deeper pages. Cursor pagination is O(1)."
type: skill
canonical_url: https://claudary.paisolsolutions.com/skills/data-pagination
source: "Claudary"
difficulty: intermediate
author: "Claude Code Knowledge Pack"
date: 2026-07-10T11:19:26.060Z
license: CC-BY-4.0
attribution: "data pagination — Claudary (https://claudary.paisolsolutions.com/skills/data-pagination)"
---

# data pagination
OFFSET-based pagination scans all skipped rows, getting slower on deeper pages. Cursor pagination is O(1).

## Overview

---
title: Use Cursor-Based Pagination Instead of OFFSET
impact: MEDIUM-HIGH
impactDescription: Consistent O(1) performance regardless of page depth
tags: pagination, cursor, keyset, offset, performance
---

## Use Cursor-Based Pagination Instead of OFFSET

OFFSET-based pagination scans all skipped rows, getting slower on deeper pages. Cursor pagination is O(1).

**Incorrect (OFFSET pagination):**

```sql
-- Page 1: scans 20 rows
select * from products order by id limit 20 offset 0;

-- Page 100: scans 2000 rows to skip 1980
select * from products order by id limit 20 offset 1980;

-- Page 10000: scans 200,000 rows!
select * from products order by id limit 20 offset 199980;
```

**Correct (cursor/keyset pagination):**

```sql
-- Page 1: get first 20
select * from products order by id limit 20;
-- Application stores last_id = 20

-- Page 2: start after last ID
select * from products where id > 20 order by id limit 20;
-- Uses index, always fast regardless of page depth

-- Page 10000: same speed as page 1
select * from products where id > 199980 order by id limit 20;
```

For multi-column sorting:

```sql
-- Cursor must include all sort columns
select * from products
where (created_at, id) > ('2024-01-15 10:00:00', 12345)
order by created_at, id
limit 20;
```

Reference: [Pagination](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/database/pagination)

---

Source: [Claudary](https://claudary.paisolsolutions.com/skills/data-pagination) · https://claudary.paisolsolutions.com