Cache Pre-Warming

Currently in a testing phase and no where near a release

Add the trait to a model and get TTL-based query caching. Optionally use pre-warming to cache heavy queries indefinitely.

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Installation

composer require codewithdennis/laravel-model-cache

Cache driver: Use a driver that supports tags (array, redis, or memcached). The file and database drivers do not support tagging; cache invalidation on model events will not work with them.

Add the trait to any model:

use CodeWithDennis\LaravelModelCache\Traits\HasCache;

class User extends Model
{
    use HasCache;
}

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Part 1: Normal Caching

With the trait added, every query is cached after it runs. The first run hits the database and stores the result; later runs with the same query read from cache until it expires (default 10 minutes).

Use it for: data that changes now and then.

Example

$users = User::query()
    ->where('active', true)
    ->orderBy('name')
    ->get();

The first call hits the database. The next calls with the same query use the cache until the TTL expires, then the next request refreshes it from the database.

Configuration — Change how long the cache lasts:

public function cacheTtl(): int
{
    return 3600; // 1 hour
}

or

protected int $cacheTtl = 300; // 5 minutes

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Part 2: Pre-Warming (additional feature)

Pre-warming caches a query indefinitely by running it ahead of time (e.g. in a scheduled command). The first visitor and everyone after get the result from cache—no slow first request.

Why use it? — Without pre-warming, the first user who hits a heavy query pays the full cost: the database runs it, and they wait. Everyone else benefits from the cache. Pre-warming runs that query once (e.g. in a scheduled job or right after deploy) and fills the cache. When the first user arrives, the result is already there—no cold start.

Use it for: data that rarely changes—dashboard stats, totals, reference data.

Example

Call warmup() before the query:

$stats = User::query()
    ->where('active', true)
    ->where('created_at', '>=', now()->startOfMonth())
    ->orderBy('created_at')
    ->warmup()
    ->get();

Run it in a command — Put the query in a Laravel command and schedule it (e.g. hourly or after deploy). When the command runs, it fills the cache. The next user request gets the result from cache.

// app/Console/Commands/WarmCache.php
class WarmCache extends Command
{
    protected $signature = 'cache:warm';

    public function handle(): int
    {
        User::query()
            ->where('active', true)
            ->where('created_at', '>=', now()->startOfMonth())
            ->orderBy('created_at')
            ->warmup()
            ->get();

        return self::SUCCESS;
    }
}

// routes/console.php
Schedule::command('cache:warm')->hourly();

What does warmup() do? — It stores the result with no expiry instead of using the model’s TTL. Same caching behaviour, no expiry.

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How it works (diagram)

flowchart LR
  A1[Command runs] --> B1["Run query (with warmup)"]
  B1 --> C1[Cache with No TTL]
  C1 --> D[Request]
  A2[First request] --> B2[Run query]
  B2 --> C2[Cache with TTL]
  C2 --> D
  D --> E[Cache hit]
  E -->|TTL only| F["After TTL → DB again"]

Loading

Left path: pre-warming (cache forever). Right path: normal caching (cache for a set time; when it expires, the next request hits the database again).

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Supported methods

Both normal caching and pre-warming support:
get, first, find, findMany, pluck, value, sole, count, exists, doesntExist, sum, avg, average, min, max, paginate, simplePaginate.

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Cache invalidation

Cache is invalidated automatically on model created, updated, deleted, and restored (soft deletes) events.

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Requirements

• PHP 8.4+
• Laravel 12.x

Uses your Laravel cache (see config/cache.php). Models without the trait are not cached.

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License

MIT. See LICENSE.md for details.