sevenx_valkey_cache: Redis and Valkey cache backend #

This page is for administrators who want faster pages or run several web servers. sevenx_valkey_cache stores Exponential's caches in Redis or Valkey instead of files. It replaces disk storage for:

• {valkey-block ...} template blocks (a cache block that lives in Redis or Valkey);
• the content view cache (content/view full view);
• the compiled INI cache (eZINI arrays). This removes the per-request touches of var/cache/ini/*.php and makes INI caches safe for clusters.

Entries have TTL based expiry, generation locks (no cache stampede) and reverse node and subtree indexes, so publishing content purges exactly the entries it affects. It first shipped on 20 July 2026 (1.0.0); 1.0.1 documented 6.0.15 as the required platform.

Requirements #

• Exponential 6.0.15 or later, whose kernel calls the extension's hooks (see "What the kernel does").
• The PHP redis extension (or igbinary).
• A reachable Redis or Valkey server.

Set it up #

1. Install and activate the extension:

composer require se7enxweb/sevenx_valkey_cache

# settings/override/site.ini.append.php
[ExtensionSettings]
ActiveExtensions[]=sevenx_valkey_cache

2. Configure the connection in settings/override/valkeycache.ini.append.php:

[ValkeyCacheSettings]
Host=127.0.0.1
Port=6379
Database=0
KeyPrefix=sevenx_valkey_cache:
InstallationHash=auto
DefaultTTL=3600
LockTTL=30
Persistent=disabled
LocalCache=enabled
IniCache=enabled

3. Regenerate autoloads and clear the caches:

php bin/php/ezpgenerateautoloads.php -e
php bin/php/ezcache.php --clear-all --allow-root-user

4. Check that it works: call a page twice, then list the keys:

redis-cli --scan --pattern 'sevenx_valkey_cache:*'

Keys are listed. With eZINI debug on, a notice says Loading Redis cache '...' for file '...' when INI data come from the server.

Settings #

All keys are in valkeycache.ini, block ValkeyCacheSettings; set them in settings/override.

Use it in templates #

{valkey-block expiry=3600 subtree_expiry=$node.node_id keys=array( 'my-block', $node.node_id )}
    ... expensive template logic ...
{/valkey-block}

From code: sevenxValkeyCacheBlock::instance() offers put( $key, $content, $ttl ), get( $key ), purge( $key ) and flush(). The class sevenxValkeyCacheHandler is registered as ContentSettings.StaticCacheHandler and purges the view and block entries indexed by the affected node ids and their ancestors when content changes.

Clear everything from the shell #

bin/php/ezvalkeycacheclear.php (added 20 July 2026) clears all caches through the same PHP cache handlers the admin uses, flushes the Redis/Valkey keys the extension wrote, and regenerates the extension autoloads, passing --exclude for every extension directory that is not in ActiveExtensions[], so disabled-but-present extensions disappear from var/autoload/ezp_extension.php and from class_exists() checks. It is the fallback when the admin's Clear all caches cannot clean up after an extension is removed or a cache backend is disabled.

Faster INI cache (1.0.2, 30 July 2026) #

The compiled INI cache is one Redis hash keyed by the file's MD5 (HGET, HSET, HDEL) instead of one key per file. The previous design scanned the whole keyspace (SCAN and MGET) on every request, which is expensive on a busy server; the request-scoped in-memory cache stays and is filled on demand.

What the kernel does (hooks) #

The kernel calls the extension only when its classes exist (class_exists() is checked first), so a site without the extension pays nothing. Hooks added on 20 July 2026 (commits fa17892025, 6ef123636c, 908994bb03):

On a miss or when disabled, the kernel falls back to the cluster file handler and the files, exactly as before.

Limits #

• Entries live in memory: size the server for the number of pages and siteaccesses, and set an eviction policy.
• A server outage turns into cache misses; the extension decides how errors are reported.

Related pages #

• Cache clear: rename aside
• HTTP caching, SQL query cache
• 6.0.15 changelog, July 2026
• Chronicle and release notes
• Change ledger
• Behaviour changes of the extensions
• Month: 2026-07 (all extensions)