Understanding and using storage plugins

Instead of customizing everything, Zend Framework 2 provides an excellent interface that can manipulate the storing, removing, and retrieving of cache data by using storage plugins.

How to do it…

Storage plugins are used to compliment the storage adapters whenever a developer feels that they need more functionality added to the adapter without necessarily making a custom adapter. Therefore, plugins are the handiest tool to use when we want to modify the way our storage adapters handle the cache.

There are a couple of storage plugins readily available in Zend Framework 2, so let's get cracking on and explain them a bit further.

Using the ClearExpiredByFactor plugin

The ClearExpiredByFactor plugin clears the expired cache items once in a while, which are determined by a set factor. The higher the factor integer is, the less likely it will be that the cache will clear its expired items. But don't forget; this being a (pseudo) random process and all chances...