Laravel + AWS ElastiCache (Valkey) Session Persistence Fix / Reference App

We recently switched our Laravel app session driver from file to redis using AWS ElastiCache Serverless (Valkey). Since then, users get logged out after ~30–40 seconds.

I’m looking for someone who has real production experience with:

- Laravel session driver = redis (phpredis client)
- AWS ElastiCache Serverless / Valkey

What I need from you:

1. Create a minimal fresh Laravel app with login.
2. Configure it so sessions are stored in ElastiCache Serverless (Valkey), not in files.
3. Prove that:
* login session persists (no logout after 1–2 minutes),
* the Redis/Valkey session key TTL matches the configured SESSION_LIFETIME,
* no read/connection errors.
4. Deliver:
* the Laravel project,
* .env.example with the Redis/Valkey connection settings you used,
* your config/session.php and config/database.php,
* short README with any special settings (persistent connection, TLS, etc.).

Please ONLY apply if you’ve already done Laravel + Redis/ElastiCache sessions in production.