How to Choose the Right Rails Built-in Cache Stores?

Imagine your application has unique features and functionality, but you are losing your potential customers due to slow loading time.

Here, Rails caching comes into the picture. It is a technique to improve the application performance, scalability, and overall user experience. Rails provide numerous built-in cache stores; each has its own advantages and disadvantages. So, how do you choose the right one for your application?

We have compiled the reasons to help you determine the best Rails cache stores. In this blog, we will understand Rails cache stores, consider the factors for built-in cache stores, and discuss the benefits of using appropriate cache stores.

What are Built-in Cache Stores in Ruby on Rails?

Built-in cache stores are pre-configured caching mechanisms provided by the Ruby on Rails framework. It helps to perform optimization without dependency on external services or additional setups.

However, cache stores offer various caching strategies to implement in your application. Let’s understand each cache store briefly.

1. Memory cache store

It is the lightweight cache that stores data in the memory server file. It has been defaulted in the Rails framework after the launch of Rails 5. This cache store is easy to use and clears the data after the server restarts.

Additionally, it is ideal for the development environment as it allows automatically deleting cache once the memory gets full. The default size of the memory cache store is 32 MB for configuration; however, it can modify with the following code:

config.cache_store = :memory_store, { size: 30.megabytes }

2. Memcached Store

Memcached is similar to memory, but the process differs from other cache-store. They use external gems, such as the Dalli gem and the Memcache server; thus, it is kept in a separate process instead of Ruby. 

The data is stored centrally, and the cache does not disappear when your application restarts; it will stay until the Memcached runs on the server. So, if you restart the server, you will get a new cache. Also, you can utilize various addresses to use servers.

Rails.application.configure do

  config.cache_store = :mem_cache_store, ‘localhost:11211’

end

3.  Redis cache store

This cache store is relatively new, launched with Rails version 5.2. The store allows you to store data in Redis, an in-memory data that is also backed cache. It offers unique features like distribution caching, expiration, and complex data handling.

Additionally, to use Redis as a cache store, you need to set up the cache as the latest recently used one because it will not support newly existing data. Also, it helps to clear the cache when it reaches a maximum data size by using the redis_cache_store.

4. File cache store

It is used as the default cache store when no cache is configured. As the name suggests, the file cache stores data on the disk and writes entries to the file system. It is ideal for a production environment where cache data before the server gets shut down.

However, you must store it on the disk as it won’t automatically. Also, checking it manually requires ensuring that the disk is only part of it. The file store is helpful during development because every entry is stored directly. On the other hand, the file store is beneficial in production as each server operates on the same file system.

config.cache_store = :file_store, Rails.root.join(‘tmp,’ ‘cache’)

Factors to Consider While Choosing Rails Cache Stores

Before choosing your Rails cache store for your applications, here are the primary factors that are required to consider while determining one cache store among different Rails cache stores:

• Every cache store has various characteristics, which perform differently and ensures that each performance characteristic handles the workload smoothly. For instance, write and read cache to streamline the process.
• Ensure that the selected cache store supports distributed caching for multi-server environments. Also, it can manage massive traffic and growing data volumes.
• Check whether your cache requires data persistence. A cache-like File store and Redis support it, whereas a memory store is unnecessary.
• Consider if your application requires advanced features because cache like memory and Redis only provide it.
• Ensure that the cache is easily accessible and integrated well with your application. Also, it supports the components that match your application requirements.

Benefits of Using Rails Cache Stores

It is essential to understand what advantages Rails cache stores offer your application. Here is the list of benefits of using cache stores:

1. Enhance performance: Rails caching improves the application performance by storing data and decreasing database queries.

2. Faster response time: With available cache stores, it becomes easier to optimize applications rapidly, which delivers a faster response time.

3. Reduce database load: As the cache data is stored, it decreases the database inquiries, which results in better database performance.
   
4. Easily integrated: Rails provides a crucial API that makes it easier to switch from one cache or multiple cache stores simultaneously. 

Conclusion

Choosing the appropriate built-in Rails cache store is vital for optimizing efficiency and performance for your Ruby on Rails applications. As a RoR developer, understanding the differences between cache stores like MemoryStore, Redis, and more can greatly enhance your app’s performance.. Hope this article helps you to choose the right cache stores for your application. By leveraging the Rails cache store, you are improving the scalability and flexibility of your application.

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