transitory
Version:
In-memory cache with high hit rates via LFU eviction. Supports time-based expiration, automatic loading and metrics.
404 lines (292 loc) • 11 kB
Markdown
# Transitory
[](https://badge.fury.io/js/transitory)
[](https://travis-ci.org/aholstenson/transitory)
[](https://coveralls.io/github/aholstenson/transitory)
[](https://david-dm.org/aholstenson/transitory)
Transitory is an in-memory cache for Node and browsers, with high hit rates
using eviction based on frequency and recency. Additional cache layers support
time-based expiration, automatic loading and metrics.
```javascript
import { newCache } from 'transitory';
const cache = newCache()
.maxSize(1000)
.expireAfterWrite(60000) // 60 seconds
.build();
cache.set('key', { value: 10 });
cache.set(1234, 'any value');
const value = cache.getIfPresent('key');
```
Using TypeScript:
```typescript
import { newCache, BoundlessCache } from 'transitory';
const cache: Cache<string, number> = newCache()
.maxSize(1000)
.build();
const cacheWithoutBuilder = new BoundlessCache<string, number>({});
```
## Supported features
* Limiting cache size to a total number of items
* Limiting cache size based on the weight of items
* LFU (least-frequently used) eviction of items
* Listener for evicted and removed items
* Expiration of items a certain time after they were stored in the cache
* Expiration of items based on if they haven't been read for a certain time
* Automatic loading if a value is not cached
* Collection of metrics about hit rates
## Performance
The caches in this library are designed to have a high hit rate by evicting
entries in the cache that are not frequently used. Transitory implements
[W-TinyLFU](https://arxiv.org/abs/1512.00727) as its eviction policy which is
a LFU policy that provides good hit rates for many use cases.
See [Performance](https://github.com/aholstenson/transitory/wiki/Performance)
in the wiki for comparisons of the hit rate of Transitory to other libraries.
## Cache API
There are a few basic things that all caches support. All caches support
strings, numbers and booleans as their `KeyType`.
* `cache.set(key: KeyType, value: ValueType): ValueType | null`
Store a value tied to the specified key. Returns the previous value or
`null` if no value currently exists for the given key.
* `cache.getIfPresent(key: KeyType): ValueType | null`
Get the cached value for the specified key if it exists. Will return
the value or `null` if no cached value exist. Updates the usage of the
key. This is the main way to get cached items, unless the cache is a
loading cache.
* `cache.get(key: KeyType, loader?): Promise<ValueType | null>`
_For loading caches:_ Get a value loading it if it is not cached. Can
optionally take a `loader` function that loads the value.
* `cache.peek(key: KeyType): ValueType | null`
Peek to see if a key is present without updating the usage of the
key. Returns the value associated with the key or `null` if the key
is not present.
* `cache.has(key: KeyType): boolean`
Check if the given key exists in the cache.
* `cache.delete(key: KeyType): ValueType | null`
Delete a value in the cache. Returns the removed value or `null` if there
was no value associated with the key in the cache.
* `cache.clear()`
Clear the cache removing all of the entries cached.
* `cache.keys(): KeyType[]`
Get all of the keys in the cache as an `Array`. Can be used to iterate
over all of the values in the cache, but be sure to protect against values
being removed during iteration due to time-based expiration if used.
* `cache.maxSize: number`
The maximum size of the cache or `-1` if boundless. This size represents the
weighted size of the cache.
* `cache.size: number`
The number of entries stored in the cache. This is the actual number of entries
and not the weighted size of all of the entries in the cache.
* `cache.weightedSize: number`
Get the weighted size of the cache. This is the weight of all entries that
are currently in the cache.
* `cache.cleanUp()`
_Advanced:_ Request clean up of the cache by removing expired entries and
old data. Clean up is done automatically a short time after sets and
deletes, but if your cache uses time-based expiration and has very
sporadic updates it might be a good idea to call `cleanUp()` at times.
A good starting point would be to call `cleanUp()` in a `setInterval`
with a delay of at least a few minutes.
* `cache.metrics: Metrics`
_For metric enabled caches:_ Get metrics for this cache. Returns an object
with the keys `hits`, `misses` and `hitRate`. For caches that do not have
metrics enabled trying to access metrics will throw an error.
## Building a cache
Caches are created via a builder that helps with adding on all requested
functionality and returning a cache.
A builder is created by calling the imported function:
```javascript
import { newCache } from 'transitory';
const builder = newCache();
```
Calls on the builder can be chained:
```javascript
newCache().maxSize(100).loading().build();
```
Or using caches directly for tree-shaking and better bundle sizes:
```javascript
import { BoundedCache, ExpirationCache } from 'transitory';
const cache = new ExpirationCache({
maxWriteAge: 60000,
parent: new BoundedCache({
maxSize: 1000
})
});
```
## Unlimited size cache
It's possible to create a cache without any limits, in which it acts like a
standard `Map`.
```javascript
// Using the builder
const cache = newCache()
.build();
// Using caches directly
import { BoundlessCache } from 'transitory';
const cache = new BoundlessCache({});
```
This is mostly useful if you have another layer of logic on top of it or if
you're creating caches without the builder.
## Limiting the size of a cache
Caches can be limited to a certain size. This type of cache will evict the
least frequently used items when it reaches its maximum size.
```javascript
// Using the builder
const cache = newCache()
.maxSize(100)
.build();
// Using caches directly
import { BoundedCache } from 'transitory';
const cache = new BoundedCache({
maxSize: 100
});
```
It is also possible to change how the size of each entry in the cache is
calculated. This can be used to create a better cache if your entries vary in
their size in memory.
```javascript
// Using the builder
const cache = newCache()
.maxSize(2000)
.withWeigher((key, value) => value.length)
.build();
// Using caches directly
import { BoundedCache } from 'transitory';
const cache = new BoundedCache({
maxSize: 2000,
weigher: (key, value) => value.length
});
```
The size of an entry is evaluated when it is added to the cache so weighing
works best with immutable data. Transitory includes a weigher for estimated
memory:
```javascript
import { memoryUsageWeigher } from 'transitory';
const cache = newCache()
.maxSize(50000000)
.withWeigher(memoryUsageWeigher)
.build();
```
## Automatic expiry
Limiting the maximum amount of time an entry can exist in the cache can be done
by using `expireAfterWrite(time)` or `expireAfterRead(time)`. Entries
are lazy evaluated and will be removed when the values are set or deleted from
the cache.
```javascript
// Using the builder
const cache = newCache()
.expireAfterWrite(5000) // 5 seconds
.expireAfterRead(1000) // Values need to be read at least once a second
.build();
```
Both methods can also take a function that should return the maximum age
of the entry in milliseconds:
```javascript
// Using the builder
const cache = newCache()
.expireAfterWrite((key, value) => 5000)
.expireAfterRead((key, value) => 5000 / key.length)
.build();
```
Using caches directly requires a parent cache and that functions are always
passed:
```javascript
import { BoundlessCache } from 'transitory';
const cache = new ExpirationCache({
maxWriteAge: () => 5000,
maxNoReadAge: () => 1000,
parent: new BoundlessCache({});
});
```
## Loading caches
Caches can be made to automatically load values if they are not in the cache.
This type of caches relies heavily on the use of promises.
With a global loader:
```javascript
// Using the builder
const cache = newCache()
.withLoader(key => loadSlowData(key))
.build();
// Using caches directly
import { DefaultLoadingCache } from 'transitory';
const cache = new DefaultLoadingCache({
loader: key => loadSlowData(key),
parent: new BoundlessCache({}) // or any other cache
});
```
Using a global loader is done by calling `cache.get(key)`, which returns a
promise:
```javascript
cache.get(781)
.then(data => handleLoadedData(data))
.catch(err => handleError(err));
cache.get(1234, specialLoadingFunction)
```
Without a global loader:
```javascript
// Using the builder
const cache = newCache()
.loading()
.build();
// Using caches directly
import { DefaultLoadingCache } from 'transitory';
const cache = new DefaultLoadingCache({
parent: new BoundlessCache({}) // or any other cache
});
```
Use via `cache.get(key, functionToLoadData)`:
```javascript
cache.get(781, key => loadSlowData(key))
.then(data => handleLoadedData(data))
.catch(err => handleError(err));
```
Loading caches can be combined with other things such as `maxSize`.
## Metrics
You can track the hit rate of the cache by activating support for metrics:
```javascript
// Using the builder
const cache = newCache()
.metrics()
.build();
// Using caches directly
import { MetricsCache } from 'transitory';
const cache = new MetricsCache({
parent: new BoundlessCache({})
});
```
Fetching metrics:
```javascript
const metrics = cache.metrics;
console.log('hitRate=', metrics.hitRate);
console.log('hits=', metrics.hits);
console.log('misses=', metrics.misses);
```
## Removal listener
Caches support a single removal listener that will be notified when items in
the cache are removed.
```javascript
import { RemovalReason } from 'transitory';
const cache = newCache()
.withRemovalListener((key, value, reason) => {
switch(reason) {
case RemovalReason.EXPLICIT:
// The user of the cache requested something to be removed
break;
case RemovalReason.REPLACED:
// A new value was loaded and this value was replaced
break;
case RemovalReason.SIZE:
// A value was evicted from the cache because the max size has been reached
break;
case RemovalReason.EXPIRED:
// A value was removed because it expired due to its max age
break;
}
})
.build();
```
When using caches directly the removal listener should go on the final cache:
```javascript
import { LoadingCache, BoundlessCache } from 'transitory';
const cache = new LoadingCache({
removalListener: listenerFunction,
parent: new BoundlessCache({})
});
```