WP Cache Helper

WP Cache Helper is a small WordPress library that wraps the object cache and transient APIs with a callback-style remember() helper, group-flush support for the object cache (which core does not provide), and per-prefix scoping so multiple consumers on the same site never collide.

Inspired by WP Cache Remember.

Requirements

• PHP 7.4 or higher
• WordPress 5.0+
• Composer

Installation

composer require duckdev/wp-cache-helper

The library autoloads under the DuckDev\Cache\ namespace via PSR-4.

Architecture

The library is organised as a tiny container wired up by the entry class DuckDev\Cache\Cache. The folder layout mirrors the namespace:

src/
├── Cache.php                     # Container + entry point
├── Contracts/
│   ├── ObjectCacheInterface.php
│   └── TransientCacheInterface.php
├── Storage/
│   ├── ObjectCache.php           # wp_cache_* wrapper + version-based group flush
│   └── TransientCache.php        # (site_)transient wrapper
├── Support/
│   └── KeyPrefixer.php           # Shared key + group prefixing
└── Exceptions/
    └── CacheException.php

Services receive their collaborators by constructor injection so they can be unit-tested without WordPress in the loop. Construction has no side effects.

Usage

Initialisation

Each container instance is scoped to a single prefix. Pass any non-empty string the first time you ask for it; the same prefix returns the same instance on subsequent calls:

$cache = \DuckDev\Cache\Cache::get_instance( 'my_plugin' );

You can also instantiate directly (useful for tests where you want to inject custom drivers):

$cache = new \DuckDev\Cache\Cache( 'my_plugin' );

Every key, group, and the {prefix}_can_cache toggle filter are namespaced under the supplied prefix.

Provided helpers

Method	Backed by	Purpose
remember()	Object cache	Read, or compute + cache on miss.
forget()	Object cache	Read then delete; return a default on miss.
persist()	Transients	Read, or compute + cache on miss.
cease()	Transients	Read then delete; return a default on miss.
flush_group()	Object cache	Invalidate every entry in a group.
flush()	Object cache	Flush the entire object cache. Last resort.
object_cache() / transient_cache()	—	Access the underlying driver for finer-grained control.

Every callback-based helper checks the return value with is_wp_error() and skips caching when one is returned, so a transient API failure is not memorised.

Disabling caching

For debugging, return false from the {prefix}_can_cache filter:

add_filter( 'my_plugin_can_cache', '__return_false' );

The second argument is the cache type — 'object' or 'transient' — so the two can be toggled independently.

Cache::remember()

Retrieve a value from the object cache. If it doesn't exist, run the $callback to generate and cache the value.

$cache = \DuckDev\Cache\Cache::get_instance( 'my_plugin' );

function get_latest_posts() {
    global $cache;

    return $cache->remember( 'latest_posts', function () {
        return new WP_Query( array(
            'posts_per_page' => 5,
            'orderby'        => 'post_date',
            'order'          => 'desc',
        ) );
    }, 'queries', HOUR_IN_SECONDS );
}

Unlike a naive wp_cache_get()-then-fall-back pattern, remember() distinguishes a legitimately cached 0, '', [], or false from a true miss — the callback only runs when nothing was cached.

Cache::forget()

Retrieve a value from the object cache then delete it. Returns $default on miss.

$error_message = $cache->forget( 'form_errors', 'flash', false );

if ( $error_message ) {
    echo 'An error occurred: ' . esc_html( $error_message );
}

Cache::persist()

Same shape as remember() but backed by the transient API.

$cache->persist( 'latest_tweets_' . $user_id, function () use ( $user_id ) {
    return get_latest_tweets_for_user( $user_id );
}, false, 15 * MINUTE_IN_SECONDS );

Pass true for the third argument to use site-wide (multisite) transients.

Note: transients use boolean false as the miss sentinel, so a legitimately cached false value is indistinguishable from a miss. Reach for remember() if you need to cache false.

Cache::cease()

Transient counterpart to forget().

Cache::flush_group()

Invalidate every entry stored under a group, without touching the rest of the object cache. Internally this increments a per-group version sentinel — old entries become unreadable on next access.

Cache::flush()

Wrapper for wp_cache_flush() with a fallback to $wp_object_cache->flush() when the function is disabled by a drop-in. Clears every group on the site, so use only as a last resort.

Upgrading from 1.x

• PHP minimum is now 7.4. PHP 5.6/7.0–7.3 are no longer supported.
• The constructor now requires a prefix: new Cache( 'my_plugin' ). In 1.x the prefix was a hardcoded duckdev_cache shared across every consumer.
• The can_cache filter is now {prefix}_can_cache (e.g. my_plugin_can_cache) rather than the shared duckdev_cache_can_cache.
• remember() and forget() now correctly treat a cached 0 / '' / [] / false as a hit instead of re-running the callback.

The public method surface (remember, forget, persist, cease, flush_group, flush) is otherwise unchanged.

Development

composer install
composer test     # PHPUnit
composer phpcs    # WordPress Coding Standards

Credits

• Maintained by Joel James

License

GPLv2+