Best practices for managing cache in Laravel Pennant focus on optimizing performance, ensuring consistency, and maintaining clean, manageable feature flag logic. Detailed guidance includes:
**1. Utilize In-Memory Caching per Request
Pennant automatically uses an in-memory cache to store the results of feature flag checks during a single request lifecycle. This means that once a feature's status is resolved, subsequent checks within the same request do not trigger additional database queries, improving performance and ensuring consistent results throughout the request[3][4][5].
**2. Choose the Appropriate Storage Driver
Pennant supports multiple drivers for storing feature flag states:
- The `array` driver stores results in memory only for the duration of the request, so results are recalculated on each new request.
- The `database` driver persists feature flag states in a database table, which is ideal for applications running on multiple servers or serverless environments. It reduces the overhead of recalculating flags on every request and leverages the in-memory cache to minimize database queries within a single request[5].
**3. Eager Load Feature Flags When Checking Multiple Scopes
If you need to check feature flags for multiple users or scopes, especially inside loops, eager loading is essential to avoid performance bottlenecks caused by repeated queries. Pennant provides methods like `load`, `loadMissing`, and `loadAll` to preload feature flag values for collections of scopes, significantly reducing database hits and improving efficiency[3].
**4. Flush Cache When Necessary
Pennant allows manual flushing of the in-memory cache via the `flushCache` method on the `Feature` facade. This can be useful in scenarios where feature flag states have changed during a request and you need to ensure the latest values are used[3].
**5. Keep Feature Flags Temporary and Clean
Feature flags should be temporary tools for gradual feature rollout or testing. After a feature is fully launched or abandoned, remove its flag definitions and related cache entries to keep the system clean and avoid unnecessary cache lookups[1][2].
**6. Centralize Flag Definitions and Keep Logic Simple
Define all feature flags in a central location to maintain consistency and simplify management. Avoid embedding complex logic inside feature flag definitions; instead, use straightforward conditions such as user roles or IDs. This reduces cache complexity and improves maintainability[2].
**7. Test Both Feature Flag States
Ensure your caching strategy supports testing both "on" and "off" states of feature flags to verify correct behavior under all conditions, which helps prevent cache-related bugs[2].
**8. Consider Implementing a Cache Decorator for Extended Caching
If you require longer cache durations or more sophisticated caching strategies beyond Pennant's built-in in-memory cache, consider implementing a custom cache decorator driver that wraps existing drivers. This can provide additional control over cache expiration and persistence[8].
By following these practices, you can effectively manage cache in Laravel Pennant to balance performance, consistency, and maintainability in feature flag management.
Citations:
[1] https://dev.to/saurabh-dhariwal/how-to-manage-feature-flags-with-laravel-pennant-in-2024-1phb
[2] https://wpwebinfotech.com/blog/laravel-pennant-guide/
[3] https://laravel.com/docs/12.x/pennant
[4] https://hackernoon.com/how-to-manage-feature-flags-with-laravel-pennant
[5] https://www.honeybadger.io/blog/a-guide-to-feature-flags-in-laravel/
[6] https://www.cs.umd.edu/~meesh/411/CA-online/chapter/cache-optimizations-ii/index.html
[7] https://laravel.com/docs/11.x/cache
[8] https://github.com/laravel/pennant/issues/68
[9] https://www4.cs.fau.de/Lehre/SS20/PS_KVBK/arbeiten/Cache_Awareness.pdf
[10] https://community.denodo.com/kb/view/document/Best%20Practices%20to%20Maximize%20Performance%20III:%20Caching
[11] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/77078816/how-to-disable-caching-for-laravel-pennant-in-db