Zend Cache Laravel Package

Getting Started

zend-cache is a mature but archived caching library from the Zend Framework ecosystem, now maintained under Laminas. To begin:

• Install via Composer: composer require laminas/laminas-cache (the package was migrated to laminas/laminas-cache after Zend Framework end-of-life)
• Understand the core abstraction: Laminas\Cache\Storage\StorageInterface and the built-in adapters (Filesystem, Memory, Apcu, Redis, Memcached)
• Start with Filesystem storage: StorageFactory::factory(['adapter' => 'filesystem', 'options' => ['directory' => '/tmp/cache']])
• Use the high-level Laminas\Cache\Service\StorageAdapterAbstractServiceFactory for integration with Laravel’s service container

Implementation Patterns

• Cache service pattern: Create a dedicated cache service class that wraps the storage adapter, injecting it via Laravel’s dependency injection
• Tag-based expiry: Enable the TaggableStorageInterface (e.g., with Filesystem adapter) to invalidate groups of cache items by tags ($storage->invalidateTags(['user_data']))
• Centralized configuration: Define cache settings in config/cache.php, mapping Laravel’s cache.stores to Laminas adapters where possible (e.g., use redis store → redis adapter with Laravel’s redis client)
• Direct usage in services: For high-performance or complex logic (e.g., caching DTOs, query results), inject the storage adapter directly instead of relying on Laravel’s cache facade
• Bridge Laravel cache: Use Laminas\Cache\Storage\Adapter\StreamWrapper or custom wrapper to make Laminas adapters work with Laravel’s Cache::driver() if needed

Gotchas and Tips

• No active maintenance: Confirm compatibility with PHP 8.0+—some older adapters may fail on newer PHP versions; manually patch if needed or prefer laminas/laminas-cache 2.12+
• Serializer conflicts: The default serializer (phpserialize) doesn’t work well with Laravel’s serialized models; use igbinary or json via adapter options (['serializer' => 'json'])
• Tag performance: Filesystem tags use hidden files per tag; for high-volume tag invalidation, consider Redis instead
• Cache metadata: Use getMetadata($key) to inspect TTL, mtime, and tags—useful for debugging stale or expired entries
• Laravel integration gap: This package doesn’t integrate out-of-the-box with Laravel’s cache system, so avoid mixing with Cache::remember() unless you manually bridge adapters—prefer one system for consistency
• Extension point: Extend Laminas\Cache\Storage\Adapter\AbstractAdapter for custom storage backends (e.g., custom Laravel DB store), implementing setOptions() and _processOptions() carefully