diff --git a/dhis-2/dhis-support/dhis-support-hibernate/src/test/java/org/hisp/dhis/cache/StoreByReferenceConfigTest.java b/dhis-2/dhis-support/dhis-support-hibernate/src/test/java/org/hisp/dhis/cache/StoreByReferenceConfigTest.java
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+++ b/dhis-2/dhis-support/dhis-support-hibernate/src/test/java/org/hisp/dhis/cache/StoreByReferenceConfigTest.java
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+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2004-2026, University of Oslo
+ * All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
+ * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
+ *
+ * 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this
+ * list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
+ *
+ * 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
+ * this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
+ * and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
+ *
+ * 3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its contributors
+ * may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without
+ * specific prior written permission.
+ *
+ * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND
+ * ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
+ * WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
+ * DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR
+ * ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
+ * (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES;
+ * LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON
+ * ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
+ * (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS
+ * SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
+ */
+package org.hisp.dhis.cache;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertSame;
+
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+import javax.cache.Cache;
+import javax.cache.CacheManager;
+import javax.cache.Caching;
+import javax.cache.configuration.MutableConfiguration;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+/**
+ * Pins the storage semantics of the shipped {@code ehcache.xml} for BOTH ways a Hibernate L2 region
+ * comes into existence.
+ *
+ * Regions declared in the file are ehcache-native and store by reference. Regions NOT declared
+ * are created at runtime by hibernate-jcache exactly like {@link #createRuntimeCache(String)}
+ * below: {@code cacheManager.createCache(name, new MutableConfiguration<>())}. The JCache spec
+ * defaults that configuration to store-by-value, which Ehcache implements by serializing and
+ * deserializing every entry on every get and put (SerializingCopier). DHIS2 ran store-by-reference
+ * for every region from 2016 through 2.41 (Ehcache 2); the 2.42 Spring 6 upgrade flipped
+ * runtime-created regions to by-value as a silent side effect of that spec default. The {@code
+ * } block in ehcache.xml restores by-reference for them; this test fails if that
+ * block is removed.
+ *
+ * By-reference is safe for Hibernate's use: the cache holds Hibernate-internal disassembled
+ * state that is never handed to application code and never mutated in place. Note entries are no
+ * longer required to be {@link java.io.Serializable}; a deployment overriding the file to add
+ * off-heap or disk tiers must configure serializers, exactly as before 2.42.
+ *
+ * @author Morten Svanæs
+ */
+class StoreByReferenceConfigTest {
+
+ private CacheManager cacheManager;
+
+ @BeforeEach
+ void setUp() throws Exception {
+ URI config = getClass().getClassLoader().getResource("ehcache.xml").toURI();
+ cacheManager =
+ Caching.getCachingProvider("org.ehcache.jsr107.EhcacheCachingProvider")
+ .getCacheManager(config, getClass().getClassLoader());
+ }
+
+ @AfterEach
+ void tearDown() {
+ if (cacheManager != null) {
+ cacheManager.close();
+ }
+ }
+
+ @Test
+ void runtimeCreatedRegionStoresByReference() {
+ Cache cache = createRuntimeCache("org.hisp.dhis.test.RuntimeRegion");
+
+ List value = new ArrayList<>(List.of("entry"));
+ cache.put("key", value);
+
+ Object first = cache.get("key");
+ Object second = cache.get("key");
+ assertNotNull(first);
+ assertSame(first, second, "two gets must return the same instance (store-by-reference)");
+ assertSame(value, first, "the cached instance must be the stored one, not a serialized copy");
+ }
+
+ @Test
+ void declaredRegionStoresByReference() {
+ Cache cache = cacheManager.getCache("org.hisp.dhis.option.Option");
+ assertNotNull(cache, "declared region must exist in ehcache.xml");
+
+ List value = new ArrayList<>(List.of("entry"));
+ cache.put("key", value);
+
+ assertSame(value, cache.get("key"), "declared regions are ehcache-native, by reference");
+ }
+
+ /** Exactly what hibernate-jcache's JCacheRegionFactory.createCache does for missing regions. */
+ private Cache createRuntimeCache(String name) {
+ return cacheManager.createCache(name, new MutableConfiguration<>());
+ }
+}