Drupal Cache Tags

Cache tags enable targeted cache invalidation across all cache bins when underlying data changes.

When to Use

• Implementing cache invalidation for custom content
• Adding dependencies to render arrays
• Debugging why content doesn't update after edits
• Creating custom tag schemes for external data

Tag Naming Conventions

Type	Pattern	Examples
Entity	entity_type:id	node:1, user:5, taxonomy_term:42
Entity list	entity_type_list	node_list, user_list
Bundle list	entity_type_list:bundle	node_list:article, node_list:page
Config	config:config_name	config:system.site, config:views.view.frontpage
Custom	module:identifier	weather:location:milan, stock:AAPL

Step-by-Step: Adding Cache Tags

1. Identify data dependencies in your render array
2. Get tags from entities via $entity->getCacheTags()
3. Add tags to #cache property
4. For custom data, define meaningful tag names
5. Invalidate tags when data changes

Examples

Example 1: Basic Entity Tags

Input: "I'm rendering a node title, how do I add cache tags?"

Output:

$build['title'] = [
  '#markup' => $node->getTitle(),
  '#cache' => [
    'tags' => $node->getCacheTags(), // Returns ['node:123']
  ],
];

Example 2: Multiple Dependencies

Input: "My block shows node info plus site name, what tags do I need?"

Output:

use Drupal\Core\Cache\Cache;

$build = [
  '#markup' => $node->getTitle() . ' | ' . $config->get('name'),
  '#cache' => [
    'tags' => Cache::mergeTags(
      $node->getCacheTags(),         // ['node:123']
      ['config:system.site']          // Site name dependency
    ),
  ],
];

Example 3: List Tags for Views/Listings

Input: "I have a custom block listing recent articles, what tags should I use?"

Output:

$build = [
  '#theme' => 'item_list',
  '#items' => $article_titles,
  '#cache' => [
    'tags' => ['node_list:article'], // Invalidates when ANY article changes
  ],
];

Example 4: Custom Service with Caching

Input: "I'm caching computed data based on a node, how do I set it up?"

Output:

public function getComputedData(int $nid): array {
  $cid = 'my_module:computed:' . $nid;
  $cache = \Drupal::cache('data');
  
  if ($cached = $cache->get($cid)) {
    return $cached->data;
  }
  
  $data = $this->expensiveComputation($nid);
  $cache->set($cid, $data, Cache::PERMANENT, [
    'node:' . $nid,           // Invalidate when node changes
    'my_module:computed',     // Custom tag for bulk invalidation
  ]);
  
  return $data;
}

Example 5: Programmatic Invalidation

Input: "External API data changed, how do I invalidate related caches?"

Output:

use Drupal\Core\Cache\Cache;

// Invalidate all caches tagged with these tags (cross-bin)
Cache::invalidateTags(['my_module:external_api', 'my_module:weather']);

// Entity saves automatically invalidate - no manual call needed
$node->save(); // Automatically invalidates node:ID and node_list tags

Example 6: Block with Entity Dependency

Input: "My block depends on the current node, how do I add tags dynamically?"

Output:

class RelatedContentBlock extends BlockBase {

  public function build() {
    $node = \Drupal::routeMatch()->getParameter('node');
    return [
      '#markup' => $this->getRelatedContent($node),
    ];
  }

  public function getCacheTags() {
    $tags = parent::getCacheTags();
    $node = \Drupal::routeMatch()->getParameter('node');
    if ($node) {
      $tags = Cache::mergeTags($tags, $node->getCacheTags());
    }
    return $tags;
  }
}

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Problem	Fix
my_module:all	Too broad, invalidates everything	Use specific IDs: my_module:item:123
Missing list tags	New content doesn't appear in listings	Add entity_type_list tag
Forgetting config	Theme changes don't reflect	Add config:block.block.X
Manual entity invalidation	Redundant, Drupal handles it	Remove manual Cache::invalidateTags() on entity save

Debugging

# Enable debug headers
$settings['http.response.debug_cacheability_headers'] = TRUE;

# Check X-Drupal-Cache-Tags header in response
curl -sI https://site.com/node/1 | grep X-Drupal-Cache-Tags

# Invalidate specific tag via drush
drush cache-tag-invalidate node:1