A complete guide to caching in Laravel - Rocketeers app [ Rocketeers ](/) [Login](https://rocketeersapp.com/login) On this page Knowledge --------- A complete guide to caching in Laravel ====================================== ### [\#Performance](https://rocketeersapp.com/knowledge/performance) The Laravel cache gives you one API in front of file, Redis, database, and memcached stores. Here is how to configure drivers, cache slow queries, invalidate by tag, and clear it all. Published by [Mark van Eijk](https://rocketeersapp.com/author/mark-van-eijk) on June 23, 2026 · 4 minute read 1. [What the Laravel cache is for](#content-what-the-laravel-cache-is-for) 2. [Cache drivers](#content-cache-drivers) 3. [Basic usage](#content-basic-usage) 4. [Cache tags for grouped invalidation](#content-cache-tags-for-grouped-invalidation) 5. [Application caching vs data caching](#content-application-caching-vs-data-caching) 6. [Clearing the cache](#content-clearing-the-cache) 7. [Choosing a driver](#content-choosing-a-driver) 8. [Conclusion](#content-conclusion) Caching is the cheapest performance win you have after indexing. The Laravel cache wraps file, database, Redis, and memcached behind a single `Cache` facade, so you write the same code regardless of where the data lives. This guide covers the drivers, the day-to-day API, cache tags, and how application caching differs from data caching. [\#](#content-what-the-laravel-cache-is-for "Permalink")What the Laravel cache is for ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Laravel caching stores the result of expensive work, a slow query, an API call, a rendered fragment, so you compute it once and serve it from fast storage afterwards. Everything goes through the unified `Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache` facade, which talks to whichever **store** you've configured. Swap the store from `file` to `redis` and not a line of your application code changes. [\#](#content-cache-drivers "Permalink")Cache drivers ----------------------------------------------------- Laravel ships with several drivers, configured in `config/cache.php` and selected per environment in `.env`: - **`file`** — serializes values to `storage/framework/cache`. Zero setup, fine for a single small server. Slow and not shared across machines. - **`database`** — stores cache rows in a table. Survives deploys, works across servers, but adds load to the DB you're usually trying to protect. - **`redis`** — in-memory, fast, supports tags and atomic locks. The default choice for production. - **`memcached`** — also in-memory and fast; supports tags but lacks Redis's richer data types and persistence. - **`array`** — keeps values in PHP memory for the current request only. Used in tests. Select the store in `.env`. Newer Laravel (11+) uses `CACHE_STORE`; older releases use `CACHE_DRIVER`: ``` # Laravel 11 and newer CACHE_STORE=redis # Laravel 10 and older CACHE_DRIVER=redis REDIS_HOST=127.0.0.1 REDIS_PORT=6379 ``` For production, use Redis. It's fast, shared across web nodes and queue workers, and unlocks tags and locks. If your app can't reach the server, see [Redis connection refused in Laravel](/redis-connection-refused-laravel). The `database` driver was the default in older skeletons; it works but doesn't scale as well under read pressure. [\#](#content-basic-usage "Permalink")Basic usage ------------------------------------------------- The facade exposes a small, predictable API. ``` use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache; Cache::put('key', 'value', now()->addMinutes(10)); // store with TTL Cache::get('key', 'default'); // read, with fallback Cache::has('key'); // existence check Cache::forever('key', 'value'); // no expiry Cache::forget('key'); // delete one key ``` The method you'll reach for most is `remember()`. It returns the cached value if present, otherwise runs the closure, stores the result, and returns it, so the slow path runs only on a miss: ``` $users = Cache::remember('users.active', now()->addHour(), function () { return User::where('active', true) ->withCount('orders') ->get(); }); ``` That single call replaces the read/compute/write dance and is the canonical way to wrap a slow query. Use `rememberForever()` for values that never expire on a clock and are invalidated explicitly instead. [\#](#content-cache-tags-for-grouped-invalidation "Permalink")Cache tags for grouped invalidation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When several keys belong together, **tags** let you invalidate them as a group instead of tracking every key by hand. Tags are only supported on the `redis` and `memcached` drivers, not `file` or `database`. ``` Cache::tags(['users', 'billing'])->put('user.42.invoices', $invoices, 3600); // Later, blow away everything tagged "users" Cache::tags(['users'])->flush(); ``` This is ideal for per-model caches: tag every entry for a user with `user.{id}`, then flush that one tag when the user changes, leaving the rest of the cache untouched. [\#](#content-application-caching-vs-data-caching "Permalink")Application caching vs data caching ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's a second kind of caching in Laravel that has nothing to do with the `Cache` facade: **application/config caching**. These Artisan commands compile framework files into a single fast-loading file and matter most in production. ``` php artisan config:cache # merge all config into one cached file php artisan route:cache # compile route definitions php artisan view:cache # precompile Blade templates ``` Run these on deploy. The catch with `config:cache` is that `env()` calls outside of config files return `null` once config is cached, so read environment values through `config()` only. These caches are about boot speed; the `Cache` facade is about your data. They are independent systems with independent clear commands. For the bigger picture on tuning a production app, see the [Laravel performance guide](/laravel-performance), and pair the config caches with [OPcache enabled in PHP](/enable-opcache-php) for the largest boot-time gains. [\#](#content-clearing-the-cache "Permalink")Clearing the cache --------------------------------------------------------------- Data cache and application caches clear separately: ``` php artisan cache:clear # flush the data cache (Cache facade) php artisan config:clear # drop cached config php artisan route:clear # drop cached routes php artisan view:clear # drop compiled views php artisan optimize:clear # all of the above at once ``` For the full rundown of when and why to run each, see [clearing the cache in Laravel](/clear-cache-laravel). If you're on Redis specifically and need to flush at the store level, see [clearing the Redis cache](/clear-redis-cache). [\#](#content-choosing-a-driver "Permalink")Choosing a driver ------------------------------------------------------------- A quick decision guide: - **Local / tiny single server:** `file` — no dependencies, good enough. - **Tests:** `array` — isolated per request, nothing to clean up. - **Multi-server, no Redis yet:** `database` — shared and persistent, at some DB cost. - **Production:** `redis` — fast, shared, supports tags and locks. The recommended default. If you need cache tags, you must be on `redis` or `memcached`; `file` and `database` silently don't support them. [\#](#content-conclusion "Permalink")Conclusion ----------------------------------------------- The Laravel cache gives you one API over many backends: configure the store in `.env`, wrap slow work in `Cache::remember()`, group related keys with tags for clean invalidation, and keep application/config caching separate in your deploy step. Use Redis in production, and when something looks stale, reach for `cache:clear` or `optimize:clear` before you start debugging. ### Subscribe to our newsletter Do you want to receive regular updates with fresh and exclusive content to learn more about web development, hosting, security and performance? Subscribe now! Fill in your email address to receive updates Subscribe #### More in [\#Performance](https://rocketeersapp.com/knowledge/performance) - [How to optimize server performance](https://rocketeersapp.com/knowledge/optimize-server-performance) - [How to optimize website performance](https://rocketeersapp.com/knowledge/optimize-website-performance) - [How to measure TTFB (Time To First Byte)](https://rocketeersapp.com/knowledge/ttfb) - [How to enable and configure OPcache for faster PHP](https://rocketeersapp.com/knowledge/enable-opcache-php) - [How database indexing works (with MySQL examples)](https://rocketeersapp.com/knowledge/database-indexing) - [Brotli vs Gzip: which compression should you use?](https://rocketeersapp.com/knowledge/brotli-vs-gzip) [View all 13 articles →](https://rocketeersapp.com/knowledge/performance)