Introduction to Caching
Caching is a technique used in system design to store frequently accessed data in a fast-access storage layer, separate from the primary data source like a database. This helps avoid repeated expensive operations on slower storage.
In high-traffic applications, databases can become bottlenecks due to constant read requests. Caching acts as a buffer, serving data quickly to users while reducing the load on the database.
Key Benefits:
- Faster response times for users
- Lower latency for read-heavy operations
- Scalability by offloading database queries
Consider a simple e-commerce site where product details are queried millions of times daily. Without caching, each view hits the database, causing delays and overload.