Caching is an essential performance improvement practice that enables faster data retrieval by storing data temporarily in high-speed storage areas. Laravel, one of the most popular PHP frameworks, provides caching capabilities with different
In Laravel, a cache store is a mechanism for storing cached data, providing different methods for caching and retrieving information. The default cache store is file-based, but Laravel offers several other stores, each with its own advantages and considerations.
Let's explore different cache stores a bit.
File cache store: The simplest cache store. It uses the local filesystem to store cached objects.
Database cache store: Stores cached items in the database, which is a more persistent option compared to the file store.
Memcached / Redis cache store: They are in-memory data storage systems, highly efficient for caching as they offer superior speed and performance.
Array cache store: It only stores cached items for the current request’s duration. It’s primarily used for tests where the cache doesn’t need to persist.
APC / APCu cache store: Uses the PHP opcode caching system. While it offers high performance, its applicability is limited as it doesn’t support
Before using a cache store, you need to configure it in your .env
file.
The
.env
file is a configuration file in Laravel that holds environment-specific settings and variables for the application.
For example, for a file store, the configuration would be:
CACHE_DRIVER=file
For Redis:
CACHE_DRIVER=redisREDIS_CLIENT=predisREDIS_HOST=127.0.0.1REDIS_PASSWORD=nullREDIS_PORT=6379
Let's compare different cache stores and see their differences.
File cache store is the easiest to set up but can become slow if the number of cached items is large, as each cache item is stored in a separate file. Database cache, although more complex to set up, can be faster as it can efficiently handle many cache items.
Both Redis and Memcached are in-memory stores, providing superior speed. However, Redis offers more advanced data structures and supports persistence if the data needs to be kept for longer periods.
The array store is short-term and only exists during the lifecycle of a single request, ideal for testing. On the other hand, APC / APCu offers faster access speed and is excellent for opcode caching but doesn’t support PHP-FPM or distributed systems.
Here is a table comparing different types of cache stores in Laravel.
File Store | Database Store | Redis Store | Memcached Store | Array Store | APC / APCu Store | |
Storage Type | Local file system | Database | In-memory | In-memory | In-memory | In-memory |
Speed | Moderate | Moderate | Very Fast | Fast | Very Fast | Very Fast |
Latency | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Low |
Scalability | Limited | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Limited | Limited |
Memory Usage | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Moderate | Low |
Data Sharing | Limited | Across instances | Limited | Across instances | Limited | Limited |
Complexity | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Low |
Installation | Built-in | Built-in | Requires setup | Requires setup | Built-in | Requires setup |
Recommended For | Small to medium projects | Shared data between instances | High traffic,low latency | Distributed enviornment | Testing, debugging | Opcode caching,shared caching, |
Configuration | Simple | Simple | Requires setup | Requires setup | Build-in | Requires setup |
Selecting the right cache store depends on your application requirements. For smaller applications, file or database cache stores could suffice. However, as your application grows, in-memory stores like Redis or Memcached can provide the speed and performance you need.
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