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Home Forums How do you cache data in ASP.NET Core? What are the options? – MindStick
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1 Answers

ICSM Computer
ICSM Computer 17 Jun 2025
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In ASP.NET Core, caching improves application performance by temporarily storing frequently accessed data. There are three primary caching options:

1. In-Memory Caching

Best for:

  • Small- to medium-sized data
  • Single-server scenarios (not shared across instances)

Example:

public class MyService
{
    private readonly IMemoryCache _cache;

    public MyService(IMemoryCache cache)
    {
        _cache = cache;
    }

    public string GetData()
    {
        return _cache.GetOrCreate("myKey", entry =>
        {
            entry.AbsoluteExpirationRelativeToNow = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(5);
            return "cached value";
        });
    }
}

Register in Startup.cs (for .NET Core 3.x) or Program.cs (.NET 6+):

builder.Services.AddMemoryCache();

2. Distributed Caching

Used in multi-server or cloud environments.

Options:

  • SQL Server
  • Redis
  • NCache

Best for:

  • Shared data across multiple app instances
  • Session data in scalable environments

Redis Example:

# Install Redis package
dotnet add package Microsoft.Extensions.Caching.StackExchangeRedis
builder.Services.AddStackExchangeRedisCache(options =>
{
    options.Configuration = "localhost:6379"; // or use Azure Redis Cache endpoint
});
public class MyService
{
    private readonly IDistributedCache _cache;

    public MyService(IDistributedCache cache)
    {
        _cache = cache;
    }

    public async Task<string> GetDataAsync()
    {
        var data = await _cache.GetStringAsync("myKey");
        if (data == null)
        {
            data = "cached value";
            await _cache.SetStringAsync("myKey", data, new DistributedCacheEntryOptions
            {
                AbsoluteExpirationRelativeToNow = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(5)
            });
        }
        return data;
    }
}

3. Response Caching

Best for:

  • Caching full HTTP responses
  • Static or rarely changing output

Setup:

builder.Services.AddResponseCaching();
app.UseResponseCaching();

Annotate Controller/Action:

[HttpGet]
[ResponseCache(Duration = 60, Location = ResponseCacheLocation.Client)]
public IActionResult Get()
{
    return Ok("cached response");
}

Summary Comparison

Caching Type Scope Shared Across Servers? Use Case
In-Memory Cache Application No Small, fast-access, per-server data
Distributed Cache External Yes Web farms, cloud-scale apps
Response Cache HTTP Layer Depends on setup Caching API/page responses
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