Alternative PHP Cache (APC). Best configuration

If you’re here, then you curious about Alternative PHP Cache (APC). Definitely you know what is that.

The Alternative PHP Cache (APC) is a free and open opcode cache for PHP. Its goal is to provide a free, open, and robust framework for caching and optimizing PHP intermediate code. — PHP.net

— PHP.net

It was conceived, as free, open and stable framework for caching and optimisation of the initial code PHP, as well possibly caching user data.

Unfortunately development of APC was dropped. But it’s doesn’t mean we can’t use it. Huge number of websites in world use it very successfully. And as far as I know, APC is going to be included in PHP 6. But now we have to install on our own.

Let’s install it in Ubuntu:
sudo apt-get install php-apc

In CentOS:
yum install php-pear php-devel httpd-devel pcre-devel gcc make
Second step:
pecl install apc

Restart Apache in Ubuntu:
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

In CentOS:
service httpd restart

Below I shared optimal, in my opinion, APC configuration:

extension="apc.so"
apc.enabled=1
apc.stat=0
apc.shm_segments=1
apc.shm_size=512M
apc.ttl=7200
apc.user_ttl=7200
apc.mmap_file_mask=/tmp/apc.XXXXXX
apc.max_file_size=1M
apc.num_files_hint=0
apc.lazy_classes=1
apc.lazy_functions=1

You can copy and paste to your file apc.ini on the server. In UNIX-like operating system, like Ubuntu Server, the file is here:
/etc/php5/conf.d/apc.ini

But in CentOS is here:
/etc/php.d/apc.ini/