PHP Memcached Stats Settings (Detailed Guide w/ Code Examples)

Use Case(s)

PHP Memcached stats settings are typically used for:

1. Profiling the performance of a memcached server by retrieving memcached runtime statistics.
2. Analyzing the health and capacity of a memcached server, for example, how many items are currently stored, cache hits and misses, memory used, etc.

Code Examples

Example 1: Getting Basic Stats

The getStats() method is used to fetch memcached server statistics.

<?php
$mem = new Memcached();
$mem->addServer("localhost", 11211);

$stats = $mem->getStats();
print_r($stats);
?>

This will output an array of statistics like uptime, gets, hits, misses and more.

Example 2: Getting Extended Stats

Extended stats can be fetched using getStats() with additional parameters.

<?php
$mem = new Memcached();
$mem->addServer("localhost", 11211);

$stats = $mem->getStats('localhost', 11211);
print_r($stats);
?>

With this, you'll get detailed information including the settings of your memcached server.

Best Practices

1. Only fetch statistics when needed as these calls can add overhead to your application.
2. Regularly monitor your cache hit/miss ratio. A high number of misses might indicate ineffective caching strategy.

Common Mistakes

1. Not routinely checking the cache’s performance. Regular monitoring helps identify issues before they become critical.
2. Ignoring cache eviction counts. High numbers could mean your cache size isn't sufficient.

FAQs

Q: How often should I check my memcached stats? A: It largely depends on your specific use-case, but in a high-traffic production environment, you might want to check stats more frequently, like every few hours or daily.

Q: What is a good hit/miss ratio? A: Ideally, you want a very high hit ratio. A high miss ratio indicates that your cached data isn't being used effectively and may need to adjust your caching strategy.