2. CACHING IN PYTHON
Caching is a powerful technique to improve the performance of a software system by
storing frequently accessed data in a temporary location. Caching in Python can be
implemented using various strategies such as LRU Cache, MRU Cache, etc. In this blog,
we will focus on the LRU Cache strategy.
LRU (Least Recently Used) Cache is a technique used for caching where the least recently
used items are removed from the cache to make room for new items. Python provides an
LRU Cache implementation as a part of the functools module.
3. ADVANTAGES OF LRU CACHE:
Improved performance due to the presence of frequently accessed data in the cache
Reduced latency as the data is retrieved from the cache instead of the slower data
source
Reduced resource utilization as the frequently accessed data is stored in the cache
and the expensive computations are not performed multiple times.
4. DISADVANTAGES OF LRU CACHE:
Increased memory usage due to the presence of cached data
Stale data in the cache can lead to incorrect results if the cache is not invalidated in a
timely manner
Cache eviction policies can lead to cache thrashing if not chosen carefully.
5. HOW TO IMPLEMENT LRU CACHE IN
PYTHON:
import functools
@functools.lru_cache(maxsize=128)
def expensive_function(arg):
# Perform some expensive computation
return result
Python provides an LRU Cache implementation as a part of the functools module. The
LRU Cache can be created using the ‘functools.lru_cache()’ decorator.
Here’s an example of how to implement LRU Cache using the ‘functools.lru_cache()’
decorator:
6. CONCLUSION
Caching is a powerful technique to improve the performance of a software system. LRU
Cache is a popular caching strategy used in Python that helps in improving the
performance of the system by storing frequently accessed data in a cache. Python
provides an LRU Cache implementation as a part of the functools module, making it easy
to implement and use. By understanding the advantages and disadvantages of LRU
Cache, developers can make informed decisions on whether to use this caching strategy
in their Python applications.