In-Memory Caching in .NET 9.0 with IMemoryCache
Intro
This project demonstrates how to implement efficient in-memory caching using IMemoryCache in .NET applications. Originally built for .NET Core and progressively upgraded to .NET 9.0, this implementation showcases modern caching patterns specifically designed for monolithic environments.
For distributed caching approaches, check out my other project using Redis.
I have also blogged with a full explanation of the core concepts.
Project Evolution
This project has evolved through several .NET versions:
- Started with .NET Core 3.1
- Updated to .NET 6 with minimal hosting model
- Recently upgraded to .NET 9.0 with modern C# features
Key Features in .NET 9.0 Version
- Modern C# Language Features: File-scoped namespaces, nullable reference types, and target-typed new expressions
- Improved Architecture: Interface-based design following SOLID principles
- Enhanced HTTP Implementation: Using modern patterns with
GetFromJsonAsyncand improved error handling() - Thread Safety: Synchronized cache access using SemaphoreSlim
- Comprehensive Test Suite: Complete test coverage with xUnit and Moq
- Decorator Pattern: Properly implemented DI registration for the caching service
Architecture
- User A makes a request to our web service
- In-memory cache doesn't have a value in place, it enters into lock state and makes a request to the Users Service
- User B makes a request to our web service and waits till the lock is released
- This way, we can reduce the number of calls being made to the external web service. returns the response to our web service and the value is cached
- Lock is released, User A gets the response
- User B enters the lock and the cache provides the value (as long it's not expired)
- User B gets the response
Project Structure
InMemoryCachingSample/ # Main application
+-- Infrastructure/ # Core infrastructure components
| +-- CacheProvider.cs # IMemoryCache wrapper
| +-- HttpClient.cs # HTTP client implementation
+-- Services/ # Business logic services
| +-- CachedUserService.cs # Caching decorator for user service
| +-- CacheService.cs # Cache management service
| +-- UsersService.cs # User data service
+-- Utils/ # Utilities
+-- CacheKeys.cs # Cache key constants
InMemoryCachingSample.Tests/ # Test project
+-- CachedUserServiceTests.cs # Tests for caching decorator
+-- CacheProviderTests.cs # Tests for cache provider
+-- CacheServiceTests.cs # Tests for cache service
+-- HttpClientTests.cs # Tests for HTTP client
Usage
Requirements
- .NET 9.0 SDK or later
Running the Project
git clone https://github.com/sahansera/InMemoryCacheNetCore.git
# Navigate to the project directory
cd InMemoryCacheNetCore
# Build the project
dotnet build
# Run the application
dotnet run --project InMemoryCachingSample/InMemoryCachingSample.csproj
# Run the tests
dotnet test
Questions? Bugs? Suggestions for Improvement?
Having any issues or troubles getting started? Get in touch with me
Support
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Share it!
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Contributing
PRs are welcome! Thank you