The Caching Application Block
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The Enterprise Library Caching Application Block lets developers incorporate a local cache in their applications. It supports both an in-memory cache and, optionally, a backing store that can either be the database store or isolated storage. The application block can be used without modification; it provides all the functionality needed to retrieve, add, and remove cached data. Configurable expiration and scavenging policies are also part of the application block.
When building enterprise-scale distributed applications, architects and developers are faced with many challenges. Caching can help them to overcome some of these challenges, including the following:
- Performance. Caching improves application performance by storing relevant data as close as possible to the data consumer. This avoids repetitive data creation, processing, and transportation.
- Scalability. Storing information in a cache helps save resources and increases scalability as the demands on the application increase.
- Availability. By storing data in a local cache, the application may be able to survive system failures such as network latency, Web service problems, and hardware failures.
This section includes the following topics:
- Introduction to the Caching Application Block
- Developing Applications Using the Caching Application Block
- Key Scenarios
- Design of the Caching Application Block
- Extending and Modifying the Caching Application Block
- Deployment and Operations
- Caching QuickStart
More Information
For related information, see the following patterns & practices guides and documents:
- Application Architecture for .NET: Designing Applications and Services
- Caching Architecture Guide for .NET Framework Applications
- Enterprise Library home page on MSDN
- Enterprise Library on the Codeplex Web site
For links to external caching providers, see the “More Information” section in The Caching Application Block on MSDN.