Nova Opcache Laravel Package

Getting Started

The 1.0.0 release is primarily a compatibility release: it adds support for Laravel-opcache v4. Treat it as an upgrade-and-verify release unless the package changelog lists additional features; the release note does not indicate breaking changes. The main day-to-day value remains OPcache visibility and control from Laravel.

• Install or upgrade with Composer, ensuring your version constraint allows the new v4-compatible release and the matching laravel-opcache v4 dependency.
• Look first at the package README, any publishable config/opcache.php, and the registered Artisan commands (php artisan list | grep opcache). If the package exposes routes or a dashboard, check the service provider for route registration.
• Publish config if needed, then clear cached config before testing:

  php artisan vendor:publish --tag=opcache-config
  php artisan config:clear
  

• First practical use case: run the package’s status command on a host that serves real traffic, not just a CLI container. Confirm OPcache is enabled, inspect memory usage and hit rate, then run a clear/compile cycle after a deploy.
• If the status command reports OPcache disabled, check opcache.enable, opcache.enable_cli, and opcache.restrict_api before assuming the package is broken.

Implementation Patterns

• Deployment hook: After composer install, php artisan optimize, and config/route caching, run the package’s OPcache clear command, then a compile/warm command if supported. Finish by reloading PHP-FPM or restarting Octane workers.
• Multi-server deployments: Run OPcache commands on every app server. OPcache is per PHP process/SAPI instance, so clearing one node does not clear the fleet.
• Health checks: Expose or script a status check that reports OPcache enabled state, memory consumption, hit rate, and restart count. Alert on low hit rate or frequent resets rather than only checking HTTP 200.
• Local vs production: In local development, leave opcache.validate_timestamps=1 and avoid relying on manual clears. In production, disabling timestamp validation improves performance but makes explicit clear/invalidate steps mandatory on deploy.
• Version upgrade workflow for 1.0.0: Update Composer constraints, run composer update, re-publish config only if the package documents new options, clear Laravel caches, and smoke-test each OPcache command. Check Laravel-opcache v4 changelog for command signature or option changes.
• Integration: Wrap OPcache commands in your deploy script or a custom Artisan command if you need environment-specific behavior, logging, or fan-out across hosts. Avoid scattering raw php artisan opcache:* calls across multiple pipelines.

Gotchas and Tips

• CLI and FPM are separate OPcache instances. Running an Artisan OPcache clear command from CLI may not clear the cache used by PHP-FPM. Verify how the package executes resets; if needed, use a web endpoint, CacheTool, or an FPM reload.
• opcache.enable_cli is often off. Status/clear commands executed via CLI may see a different OPcache state than web traffic. Always validate from the SAPI that serves requests.
• opcache.restrict_api can block commands. If OPcache API calls fail, check this setting and whether the running user/path is allowed.
• Order matters: clear OPcache after deploying new files and after Laravel config/route/view caching, then warm the cache. Compiling before the final file layout is in place wastes the warm-up.
• opcache.validate_timestamps=0 is common in production. Without a deploy-triggered clear/invalidate, new code may not be picked up.
• File cache quirks: If opcache.file_cache or file_cache_only is enabled, clearing shared memory may not be enough; verify the package’s behavior against your OPcache configuration.
• Permissions and privileges: The deploy user may be able to run Artisan but not reload PHP-FPM. Plan for sudo systemctl reload php-fpm or equivalent, and ensure OPcache file paths are readable by the web user.
• Debugging checklist: php -i | grep opcache, the package’s status command, PHP-FPM logs, and a phpinfo() page under the web SAPI. Compare CLI and web output before filing an issue.
• Upgrade caution: Since 1.0.0 is a compatibility release for Laravel-opcache v4, pin compatible versions and re-test command names/options. Do not assume old aliases or undocumented behavior survived v4.
• Extension points: Prefer composing around the package’s commands/config rather than editing vendor code. If the package exposes contracts, events, or config-driven paths, bind or override those in your app to customize behavior cleanly.