Laravel Cache::flexible stale-while-revalidate caching

PHP Dasun Kalupahana October 10, 2026 338 views

<?php

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache;

// Fresh for 5 seconds, then served stale for up to 10 more seconds while it refreshes.
$stats = Cache::flexible('dashboard.stats', [5, 10], function () {
    return [
        'users'  => \App\Models\User::count(),
        'orders' => \App\Models\Order::count(),
    ];
});

Serves the cached value instantly, even after it goes stale, and refreshes it in the background after the response is sent. Use it for slow queries on busy pages so no visitor waits on a cache miss. Needs Laravel 11.23+.

#laravel #cache #flexible #stale-while-revalidate #performance #laravel-11