By default, Keycloak caches realm metadata and users. There are two separate caches, one for realm metadata (realm, application, client, roles, etc...) and one for users. These caches greatly improves the performance of the server.

The realm and user caches can be cleared through the management console. To disable the realm or user cache, you must edit the keycloak-server.json file in your distribution. Here's what the config looks like initially. You must then change it to:

To clear the realm or user cache, go to the Keycloak admin console Realm Settings->Cache Config page. Disable the cache you want. This will cause the cache to be cleared.