Cache Invalidation

smoxy caches content at the edge to reduce load on your origin server. When content changes, you need to invalidate the cached version so visitors see the update. smoxy provides several methods to do this — from clearing a single URL to flushing entire tag groups.

All invalidation requests use the HTTP BAN method and require the cache token configured in your site's Basic Configuration.

Cloudflare users: Cloudflare may block BAN/PURGE requests. See Cloudflare Setup for the recommended workaround.

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Methods

Flush URL

Clears the cache for a specific URL.

curl -X BAN -H "secret: <token>" -H "url: /" https://www.example.com/

You can also pass the URL as the request target:

curl -X BAN -H "secret: <token>" https://www.example.com/products/my-product

Flush Tags

Clears all cached content tagged with one or more cache tags. Tags are set on your origin's responses using the x-cache-tags header (see Advanced Caching for tag configuration).

Flush a single tag:

curl -X BAN -H "secret: <token>" -H "tags: smartphones" https://www.example.com/

Flush multiple tags at once (comma-separated):

curl -X BAN -H "secret: <token>" -H "tags: smartphones,accessories" https://www.example.com/

When to use tags: Tags are the most efficient way to invalidate groups of related content. For example, if your shop tags product pages with their category name, you can flush all "Samsung" products with a single request instead of purging each URL individually.

Common tagging strategies:

Strategy	Tag Example	Use Case
By category	smartphones, laptops	New products added to a category
By brand	samsung, apple	Brand-wide price update
By product ID	product-123	Single product changed
By page type	listing, detail, home	Template or layout change

Flush File

Clears a specific cached file by its cache hash. This is useful when you know the exact cache entry to invalidate.

curl -X BAN -H "secret: <token>" -H "cache-file: 469640790ad5bda4d1cc6a19f6770214.html" https://www.example.com/

Tip: The cache file hash is returned as a response header when Debug Headers are enabled.

Flush All

Clears the entire cache for the site. Use this as a last resort — it forces every request to be fetched fresh from your origin until the cache warms up again.

curl -X BAN -H "secret: <token>" -H "type: flushall" https://www.example.com/

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Choosing the Right Method

Method	Scope	Speed	Origin Load
Flush URL	Single URL	Instant	Minimal
Flush Tags	Group of related pages	Instant	Moderate
Flush File	Single cache entry	Instant	Minimal
Flush All	Entire site cache	Instant	High (cache cold start)

Start with the most targeted method. Use Flush URL for single pages, Flush Tags for groups, and Flush All only when necessary.

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Quick Actions

You can also clear cache without writing code using the Dashboard quick actions:

• Clear Entire Cache — same as Flush All

• Clear Cache by URL — same as Flush URL

• Clear Cache by Tag — same as Flush Tags