Down command creates files when using cache driver for maintenance mode

[JaZo]

Laravel Version

11.23.5

PHP Version

8.2.24

Database Driver & Version

No response

Description

When you're using the cache based maintenance mode, Laravel still tries to create the framework/maintenance.php file. However, this file does nothing when there's no down-file, which is the case when you're using the cache driver, so basically it is useless.

Example of when this is an issue:

1. When running a multi server environment, only the server where the down command is ran, will have the maintenance file and the others don't.
2. When running on a read-only filesystem, the down command will error as the file can't be created.

In both these situations the cache driver should suffice, but currently it has this issue.

N.B. I proposed a solution in #53228, but that wasn't accepted.

Steps To Reproduce

1. Make sure your cache store isn't file based;
2. Set the maintenance mode driver to cache;
3. Make the storage directory read-only;
4. Run php artisan down;
5. See that the command fails because it can't create the maintenance file.

[ismaildasci]

Hey! 👋

You're right—Laravel’s php artisan down command creates the framework/maintenance.php file even in cache-based maintenance mode. This file isn’t really necessary if you’re relying on the cache driver for maintenance status.
Possible Workaround

One option is to create a custom command to enable maintenance mode using only the cache without creating maintenance.php. Here’s an example:

php

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache;
use Illuminate\Console\Command;

class CustomDownCommand extends Command
{
protected $signature = 'custom:down';
protected $description = 'Put the app in maintenance mode (cache-based only)';

public function handle()
{
    Cache::put('maintenance_mode', true, now()->addHours(24)); // 24-hour maintenance mode
    $this->info('Maintenance mode enabled without file.');
}

}

This way, only the cache is used, and maintenance.php won’t be created. Hope this helps! 😊

[devriazul]

Thank you for raising this issue! I understand the challenges faced, particularly in multi-server environments or read-only filesystems, where creating unnecessary files can disrupt workflows.

To address this, here are a few thoughts:

Workaround:
A custom command like the one suggested by @ismaildasci is a great temporary solution. For example:

`use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache;
use Illuminate\Console\Command;

class CustomDownCommand extends Command
{
protected $signature = 'custom:down';
protected $description = 'Put the app in maintenance mode (cache-based only)';

public function handle()
{
    Cache::put('maintenance_mode', true, now()->addHours(24)); // 24-hour maintenance mode
    $this->info('Maintenance mode enabled without file.');
}

}
`
This ensures maintenance mode is activated using the cache driver without attempting to create the maintenance.php file.

Proposal for Core Behavior:
Laravel could check the maintenance mode driver and skip creating the framework/maintenance.php file entirely if the driver is set to cache. This change would maintain backward compatibility while streamlining behavior for cache-based setups.

Documentation:
If the core behavior remains unchanged, it would be helpful to update the documentation or migration guides to note this behavior and provide recommendations for multi-server or read-only environments.

I’d be happy to assist with refining this idea or contributing a PR for the documentation. Let me know how I can help! 😊