Statamic Configuration: Driver Choice and Static Caching
Imagine: a Statamic site with a collection of 15,000 articles. Every time you edit content, the admin panel freezes for 20 seconds — the Stache rebuilds its cache. Or another scenario: on each request, PHP generates the page, the server can't handle it, TTFB is 3 seconds. We've encountered this many times. Proper driver and static caching configuration solves both problems. The wrong driver choice can make the site load in 10 seconds, and the admin panel lag when editing content. This is especially critical for projects with thousands of entries. Our team has 5+ years of Laravel and Statamic development experience, with 20+ projects implemented on this CMS.
How to Choose the Right Driver for Statamic?
For a project with 500 entries, flat-file works faster, but when growing to 10,000, Stache starts to lag: cache build time — 15 seconds. Eloquent with indexes processes the same 10,000 entries in 3 seconds. Additionally, Git integration is simpler with flat-file, but for a team of 10+ editors, a database is more convenient. Here are the key differences:
| Characteristic | Flat-file (Stache) | Eloquent (DB) |
|---|---|---|
| Speed with small content | High | Medium |
| Speed with >5000 entries | Low (Stache long cache build) | High (indexes, optimization) |
| Git-friendliness | High (files easy to merge) | Low (DB not in Git) |
| Multilingual | Via files | Via separate entries |
| Suitable for | Blogs, business card sites | Large portals, e-commerce |
We help choose the right option and migrate without data loss. For example, for an e-commerce store with 50,000 products, Eloquent is the clear choice — Stache would rebuild its cache for 30 seconds on each save. For a blog with 200 articles, flat-file and Git are ideal. If you're already using flat-file but your project has grown, migration to Eloquent is possible using the built-in command artisan statamic:eloquent:import --all. Make a backup before migration. The cost of a Statamic Pro license is $345, which pays off when scaling. Contact us for a driver selection consultation.
How to Configure Static Caching for Speed?
Without caching, each request goes through the PHP stack, loading the server. By enabling static caching (file-based), we serve pre-generated HTML pages via Nginx — server load drops by 90%, and TTFB goes down to 5 ms. Configuration:
// config/statamic/static_caching.php 'strategy' => env('STATAMIC_STATIC_CACHING_STRATEGY', 'file'), For Nginx, add a rule:
location / { try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string; } location ~* \.(css|js|jpg|png|gif|ico|svg|woff2)$ { expires 1y; add_header Cache-Control "public, immutable"; } Static caching is available in Statamic Pro. See the Statamic documentation for details. Hosting savings can reach 50% — you can use a budget server instead of an expensive VPS. Real cases: after enabling static caching, TTFB dropped from 1.2 s to 12 ms, and the server no longer struggled under 10,000 concurrent visitors.
The Stache watcher problem in production. If you leave the watcher enabled, the Stache cache will rebuild on every request, negating all optimization. Disable it via STATAMIC_STACHE_WATCHER=false in .env. This is especially important for high-content sites. Order a full Statamic setup — we'll account for all nuances.
Typical Installation Mistakes
| Mistake | Consequences | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Stache watcher enabled in production | Cache rebuilds on every request | Set STATAMIC_STACHE_WATCHER=false |
| Missing APP_KEY | Cannot encrypt sessions | Run php artisan key:generate |
| Incorrect permissions on storage | File write errors | chmod -R 775 storage |
What Does the Setup Process Include?
- Analysis — we study requirements, load, budget.
- Stack selection — flat-file or Eloquent, caching, hosting.
- Installation — deploy the project, configure .env, compile assets.
- Optimization — configure Stache/Eloquent, static caching, Nginx.
- Testing — check speed, Core Web Vitals, integrations.
- Deployment and support — hand over the project, train the team, provide 2 weeks of support.
What's Included in the Work
- Installation and initial configuration of Statamic (Free or Pro).
- Configuration of the chosen storage driver (flat-file or Eloquent).
- Configuration of static caching and web server.
- Integration with Git and CI/CD (optional).
- Administration documentation.
- 2 weeks of free support after handover.
Order Statamic setup with a performance guarantee — we'll help you save budget and avoid common mistakes. Get a free consultation on driver selection for your project. Installation and configuration take 2 to 4 hours — we'll agree on timelines individually.