Cache Management

Unfold CMS includes a cache management system that supports multiple drivers and provides admin panel controls for viewing, configuring, and clearing caches.

Overview

The cache system provides:

  • Multiple drivers — File, Redis, and database caching
  • Two-tier caching — L1 (in-memory request cache) + L2 (persistent cache)
  • Response caching — Cache full HTTP responses for static pages
  • Admin controls — Clear caches, view statistics, change drivers
  • View/route/config caching — Laravel's built-in optimization caches

Configuration

Configure caching in Settings > Cache in the admin panel.

Cache Drivers

Driver Description Best For
file File-based cache Shared hosting, small sites
redis Redis in-memory cache VPS/dedicated, high traffic
database Database-backed cache When file system is unreliable

The default file driver works on all hosting environments including shared hosting.

Two-Tier Cache Architecture

Unfold CMS uses a two-tier caching strategy:

L1 Cache (Request Memory)

  • In-memory cache that lasts for the current request only
  • Prevents redundant database queries within a single page load
  • No configuration needed — always active

L2 Cache (Persistent)

  • Persistent cache using the configured driver (file, Redis, database)
  • Survives across requests
  • TTL-based expiration

When reading a cached value:

  1. Check L1 (instant, in-memory)
  2. If miss, check L2 (fast, persistent)
  3. If miss, query the database and store in both L1 and L2

Response Caching

Full HTTP responses can be cached using spatie/laravel-responsecache. When enabled, the CMS caches entire page responses for anonymous visitors, dramatically reducing server load.

Response caching is automatically bypassed for:

  • Authenticated users
  • POST/PUT/DELETE requests
  • Pages with flash messages
  • Admin panel routes

Admin Panel

Cache Statistics

Navigate to Tools > Cache in the admin panel to view:

  • Current cache driver
  • Cache status (enabled/disabled)
  • Approximate cache size
  • Last cache clear time

Clearing Caches

The admin panel provides buttons to clear specific caches:

Cache Command Purpose
Application Cache cache:clear Clears all cached data
View Cache view:clear Clears compiled Blade views
Route Cache route:clear Clears cached routes
Config Cache config:clear Clears cached configuration
All Caches All of the above Complete cache reset

When to Clear Caches

Clear caches when:

  • You've made changes to configuration files
  • Template files have been modified
  • After updating the CMS
  • When troubleshooting display issues
  • After changing .env values (requires config:clear)

Production Optimization

For production servers, enable all optimization caches:

php artisan config:cache    # Cache configuration
php artisan route:cache     # Cache routes
php artisan view:cache      # Cache Blade views

Note: After caching config, changes to .env or config/ files require running php artisan config:cache again to take effect.

Shared Hosting

The file driver works on all shared hosting environments. No additional setup is required.

For Redis caching on shared hosting, check if your host provides Redis access. Many modern shared hosts include Redis as an add-on.

Backups Maintenance Mode