What are some common pitfalls for beginners when it comes to implementing caching in PHP?

One common pitfall for beginners when implementing caching in PHP is not properly invalidating or updating cached data when it changes. To solve this, make sure to set up a mechanism to clear or update the cache when the underlying data changes.

// Example of properly invalidating cached data when it changes
function get_data_from_cache() {
    $cached_data = get_cached_data();
    
    if ($cached_data === null) {
        $data = fetch_data_from_source();
        set_cached_data($data);
    } else {
        // Check if data has changed and update cache if needed
        if (data_has_changed()) {
            $data = fetch_data_from_source();
            set_cached_data($data);
        } else {
            $data = $cached_data;
        }
    }
    
    return $data;
}