Magento 2 Cache Types Explained: Complete Guide for Developers

Learn Magento 2 cache types, cache management commands, and how to clean, flush, enable, and disable cache to maintain better store performance.

Overview

Magento 2 uses cache to improve website performance by storing frequently used data. Cache helps Magento load pages faster by reducing repeated processing and database requests.

Developers need to understand Magento 2 cache types and commands because changes in XML, PHP, templates, or configurations may not appear until cache is refreshed.

Magento 2 Cache Types

Magento 2 provides different cache types for different system areas:

  • Configuration Cache: Stores Magento configuration settings.
  • Layout Cache: Stores XML layout structure of pages.
  • Block HTML Output Cache: Stores generated HTML blocks.
  • Collections Cache: Stores database collection data.
  • Page Cache: Stores complete page output for faster loading.
  • Translation Cache: Stores language translation files.
  • Reflection Cache: Stores PHP class reflection information.

Step 1: Check Magento 2 Cache Status

To check available cache types and their status, run: 



php bin/magento cache:status

Step 2: Clean Magento 2 Cache

Cache clean removes outdated cache entries without deleting all cache storage. This is commonly used during development after making code changes. 



php bin/magento cache:clean

Example usage:

After changing template (.phtml), XML, or configuration files, run cache:clean to apply changes.

Step 3: Flush Magento 2 Cache

Cache flush removes all cache data from Magento storage. Use this when cache clean does not resolve the issue. 



php bin/magento cache:flush

cache:clean vs cache:flush

  • cache:clean: Removes expired or invalid cache entries.
  • cache:flush: Deletes all cache data completely.
  • Use cache:clean for normal development changes.
  • Use cache:flush for major cache-related issues.

Step 4: Enable and Disable Cache 



Enable Cache:

php bin/magento cache:enable


Disable Cache:

php bin/magento cache:disable

Step 5: Manage Specific Cache Type

You can manage individual cache types instead of all cache. 



Enable Configuration Cache:

php bin/magento cache:enable config


Disable Layout Cache:

php bin/magento cache:disable layout


Clean Specific Cache:

php bin/magento cache:clean block_html

Important Notes

  • Clear cache after changing Magento XML, PHP, or template files.
  • Avoid disabling cache on live production stores.
  • Use cache flush carefully because it removes all stored cache.
  • Always test changes after clearing cache.

Result

After understanding Magento 2 cache management, developers can:

  • Improve Magento store performance
  • Fix cache-related issues quickly
  • Apply frontend and backend changes correctly
  • Manage cache using Magento CLI commands