--- title: "Cache Overview - DreamFactory Documentation" source: "https://wiki.dreamfactory.com/Cache_Overview" canonical_url: "https://wiki.dreamfactory.com/Cache_Overview" converted_at: "2026-04-05T06:12:28.403Z" format: "markdown" converted_by: "html-to-md-ai" --- []() # Cache Overview From DreamFactory Wiki [Jump to navigation](#mw-head) [Jump to search](#searchInput) ## Contents - [1 Cache Services Overview](#Cache_Services_Overview) - [1.1 Supported Cache Services](#Supported_Cache_Services) - [1.2 Cache Use Cases in DreamFactory](#Cache_Use_Cases_in_DreamFactory) - [1.2.1 API Response Caching](#API_Response_Caching) - [1.2.2 Session Storage](#Session_Storage) - [1.2.3 Rate Limiting](#Rate_Limiting) - [1.3 Choosing a Cache Backend](#Choosing_a_Cache_Backend) - [1.3.1 Redis vs Memcached](#Redis_vs_Memcached) - [1.3.2 Recommendation](#Recommendation) - [1.4 Cache Architecture](#Cache_Architecture) - [1.4.1 Cache Flow](#Cache_Flow) - [1.4.2 Cache Invalidation](#Cache_Invalidation) - [1.5 Configuring Cache Services](#Configuring_Cache_Services) - [1.5.1 System-Wide Cache](#System-Wide_Cache) - [1.5.2 Per-Service Caching](#Per-Service_Caching) - [1.6 Cache API Endpoints](#Cache_API_Endpoints) - [1.6.1 Example: Store a Value](#Example:_Store_a_Value) - [1.6.2 Example: Retrieve a Value](#Example:_Retrieve_a_Value) - [1.7 Performance Best Practices](#Performance_Best_Practices) - [1.7.1 TTL Configuration](#TTL_Configuration) - [1.7.2 Cache Key Design](#Cache_Key_Design) - [1.7.3 Memory Management](#Memory_Management) - [1.8 Common Errors](#Common_Errors) - [1.9 Next Steps](#Next_Steps) # Cache Services Overview DreamFactory supports multiple caching backends to improve API performance. Caching stores frequently accessed data in memory, reducing database load and improving response times for read-heavy workloads. --- ## Supported Cache Services Service Type Use Case Documentation **Redis** In-memory store Production caching, sessions, queues [Redis](/Redis) **Memcached** In-memory cache Simple key-value caching [Memcached](/Memcached) **Local** File-based Development, single-instance deployments Built-in **File** File-based Development, disk-based persistence Built-in **Database** SQL-backed Simple deployments without external cache Built-in --- ## Cache Use Cases in DreamFactory ### API Response Caching Cache API responses to reduce database queries: - **Per-service caching**: Enable caching on individual database or file services - **TTL configuration**: Set expiration times based on data volatility - **Cache invalidation**: Automatic clearing on write operations ### Session Storage Store user sessions in a distributed cache: - **Scalability**: Share sessions across multiple DreamFactory instances - **Performance**: Faster session lookups than database - **Persistence**: Redis can persist sessions across restarts ### Rate Limiting Track API request counts per user or role: - **Distributed counting**: Works across load-balanced instances - **Atomic operations**: Accurate request tracking - **Automatic expiry**: Counters reset after time windows --- ## Choosing a Cache Backend ### Redis vs Memcached Feature Redis Memcached Data structures Strings, lists, sets, hashes, sorted sets Strings only Persistence Optional disk persistence Memory only Replication Master-slave, clustering None (client-side) Pub/Sub Yes No Lua scripting Yes No Memory efficiency Good Excellent for simple data Max key size 512 MB 1 MB Use case Feature-rich, sessions, queues Simple caching ### Recommendation - **Production**: Use **Redis** for its flexibility, persistence options, and support for sessions - **Development**: Use **Local** cache for simplicity - **High-volume simple caching**: Use **Memcached** for maximum memory efficiency --- ## Cache Architecture ``` ┌─────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ │ API Client │────▶│ DreamFactory │────▶│ Database │ │ │◀────│ │◀────│ │ └─────────────────┘ └────────┬─────────┘ └─────────────────┘ │ │ Cache check ▼ ┌─────────────────┐ │ Cache Backend │ │ (Redis/Memcached) └─────────────────┘ ``` ### Cache Flow 1. **Request arrives** at DreamFactory 2. **Cache check**: If cached response exists and is valid, return it 3. **Cache miss**: Query the database/service 4. **Store in cache**: Save response with configured TTL 5. **Return response** to client ### Cache Invalidation DreamFactory automatically invalidates cache entries when: - **POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE** operations modify data - **TTL expires** based on configured duration - **Manual flush** via admin API --- ## Configuring Cache Services ### System-Wide Cache Configure the default cache backend in DreamFactory's environment: ``` CACHE_DRIVER=redis REDIS_HOST=localhost REDIS_PORT=6379 REDIS_PASSWORD=your_password ``` ### Per-Service Caching Enable caching on individual services: 1. Navigate to the service configuration 2. Enable **Cache Enabled** option 3. Set **Cache TTL** in seconds 4. Save the service --- ## Cache API Endpoints DreamFactory exposes a Cache API for direct cache operations: Method Endpoint Description `GET` `/api/v2/{cache_service}/{key}` Get cached value `POST` `/api/v2/{cache_service}` Store value in cache `DELETE` `/api/v2/{cache_service}/{key}` Delete cached value `DELETE` `/api/v2/{cache_service}` Flush all cached values ### Example: Store a Value ``` curl -X POST "https://example.com/api/v2/cache" \ -H "X-DreamFactory-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "key": "user:123:profile", "value": {"name": "John", "email": "[email protected]"}, "ttl": 3600 }' ``` ### Example: Retrieve a Value ``` curl -X GET "https://example.com/api/v2/cache/user:123:profile" \ -H "X-DreamFactory-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" ``` --- ## Performance Best Practices ### TTL Configuration Data Type Recommended TTL Rationale Static reference data 24 hours Rarely changes User profiles 5-15 minutes Balances freshness and performance Real-time data 30-60 seconds Frequently updated Session data 30 minutes - 2 hours Matches session duration ### Cache Key Design Use structured, predictable key patterns: ``` {resource_type}:{id}:{sub_resource} ``` Examples: - `user:123:profile` - `product:456:inventory` - `order:789:items` ### Memory Management - **Monitor memory usage** to prevent eviction - **Set appropriate TTLs** to expire stale data - **Use Redis maxmemory-policy** for graceful eviction --- ## Common Errors Error Code Message Cause Solution 400 Bad Request Invalid key or value format Check request payload 401 Unauthorized Missing API key Add API key header 404 Not Found Key does not exist Handle cache miss in client 503 Service Unavailable Cache backend unreachable Check cache server status --- ## Next Steps - **[Redis](/Redis)**: Configure Redis for production caching - **[Memcached](/Memcached)**: Configure Memcached for simple caching - **[Performance Tuning](/index.php?title=Getting_Started/Optimizing_Dreamfactory/Database&action=edit&redlink=1)**: Optimize DreamFactory performance Retrieved from "[https://wiki.dreamfactory.com/index.php?title=Cache_Overview&oldid=829](https://wiki.dreamfactory.com/index.php?title=Cache_Overview&oldid=829)" [Category](/Special:Categories): - [API](/Category:API)