I have the same issue since recently. Reloading seems to fix it.

What do you mean by reloading? I spent about 12 hours running in circles on this and I seem to have made the problem progressively worse before finally making it better. I believe the issue pertained to the Cache system, which I believe was originally set up for Redis but somehow started using the database "cache" table. I am guessing the issue was trying to insert data into that table.

edit: I'm honestly not sure what ended up fixing the issue here but I did end up finally changing the cache system to use Redis (which I thought it already was) instead of the database, and then everything suddenly started working properly.

I'm sorry. I was unclear and unhelpful. I have the same issue, but when I refresh it's gone. Then it pops up again. I also use Caching but with Redis locally.

The error you're encountering, "Strings with null bytes cannot be escaped. Use the binary escape option," is typically related to an issue with the data being cached or retrieved from the cache. This error often occurs when there is a problem with the way data is serialized or deserialized.

Since this error started occurring recently, despite the code working fine before, there are a few potential causes to investigate:

1. Data Corruption in Cache: The data stored in the cache might be corrupted. This can happen if there were recent changes in the way data is being serialized or stored.

2. Changes in Laravel Framework: Since you updated to Laravel 11.x, there might be changes in how the framework handles caching or database operations, causing the issue.

3. Database Issues: There could be issues with the database schema or the way data is being inserted into the cache table.

Here are some steps to debug and potentially resolve the issue:

1. Check for Data Corruption

Clear the cache to see if the issue persists. This will help determine if the problem is with existing cached data.

php artisan cache:clear

2. Update Cache Key

Ensure that the cache key is unique and doesn't conflict with any other keys. Modify the cache key slightly to see if it resolves the issue.

$rooms = Cache::remember('active_rooms:', 30, function () {
    return Room::where('active', true)->get();
});

3. Database Schema

Ensure your cache table schema is correct. Specifically, check the data types and make sure they match the expectations of the Laravel framework.

CREATE TABLE `cache` (
    `key` varchar(255) NOT NULL,
    `value` longtext NOT NULL,
    `expiration` int(11) NOT NULL,
    PRIMARY KEY (`key`)
);

4. Check Serialization

Ensure that the data being stored in the cache can be serialized and deserialized correctly.

$rooms = Cache::remember('active_rooms:', 30, function () {
    $rooms = Room::where('active', true)->get();
    return serialize($rooms); // Serialize the data
});

$rooms = unserialize($rooms); // Unserialize the data after retrieval

5. Debug and Log Data

Add logging to see the exact data being cached and retrieved. This can help identify if there's any unexpected null byte or special character.

$rooms = Cache::remember('active_rooms:', 30, function () {
    $rooms = Room::where('active', true)->get();
    Log::info('Rooms:', $rooms->toArray());
    return $rooms;
});

6. Check for Laravel Telescope

Since the error log mentions Laravel Telescope, there might be an issue with the way Telescope is handling queries or bindings.

Ensure that Telescope is up to date and properly configured. Try disabling Telescope temporarily to see if the issue is related.

7. Use Redis for Caching

Consider using a different cache driver like Redis, which might handle serialization differently and avoid this issue.

In your .env file:

CACHE_DRIVER=redis

Then, install and configure Redis:

composer require predis/predis

By following these steps, you should be able to identify and resolve the issue causing the "Strings with null bytes cannot be escaped" error. If the problem persists, further investigation into the recent changes in Laravel 11.x and how they interact with your caching logic may be necessary.

Dude you cached broken data and now it trying to retrieve. Wrap your code in try catch.

try {
 public function activeRooms(): Collection
    {
        $rooms = Cache::remember('rooms:', 30, function () {
            return Room::where('active', true)->get();
        });

        return $rooms;
    }
} catch (e) {
Cache::forget('rooms:');
}
 

Or if your data change use observers to handle proper cache flushing

This issue with "strings with null bytes cannot be escaped" often points to a problem with how data is being serialized and stored in the cache. Given that this started happening after a Laravel update, it’s possible that the update introduced changes to how the framework handles data serialization or caching.

Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve this issue:

1. Check for Null Bytes in Data:

Ensure that the data being cached does not contain any null bytes (\0). You can do this by inspecting the data before it is cached.

2. Clear the Cache:

Sometimes, the cache can become corrupted. Clear the cache to remove any corrupted data:

php artisan cache:clear

3. Update Dependencies:

Ensure all your dependencies are up to date. Sometimes, a bug in a specific version of a package might cause issues.

composer update

4. Check Cache Configuration:

Verify your cache configuration in config/cache.php. Ensure that the settings are correct and compatible with your MySQL version.

5. Database Column Types:

Ensure the columns used by the cache table can store the data you are caching. The value column should typically be of type TEXT or LONGTEXT to handle large strings.

6. Modify Cache Key:

Try changing the cache key to ensure it's not conflicting with existing keys or causing issues due to unexpected characters.

$rooms = Cache::remember('rooms_active', 30, function () {
    return Room::where('active', true)->get();
});

7. Check Laravel Telescope:

The stack trace shows Laravel\Telescope\Watchers\QueryWatcher. If you are using Laravel Telescope, it might be causing or surfacing the issue. Try disabling Telescope temporarily to see if the error persists.

8. Check for Overlapping Cache Operations:

Ensure that there are no concurrent cache operations that might be causing a race condition or corruption. Use locks if necessary to synchronize cache operations.

Example of Adding a Check for Null Bytes:

public function activeRooms(): Collection
{
    $rooms = Cache::remember('rooms_active', 30, function () {
        $data = Room::where('active', true)->get();
        // Check for null bytes
        if (strpos(serialize($data), "\0") !== false) {
            throw new \Exception('Data contains null bytes.');
        }
        return $data;
    });

    return $rooms;
}

If the issue persists, you can provide more details about your cache.php configuration, or consider rolling back to an earlier Laravel version to verify if the issue is strictly related to the recent update.