Caching Strategies for JAMstack APIs

2.1 What is Caching?

Caching involves storing copies of files or data in temporary storage locations, allowing for quicker retrieval. This decreases the time required to access data and reduces the load on the original source.

2.2 Types of Caching

• HTTP Caching
• Content Delivery Network (CDN) Caching
• Application-Level Caching
• Database Caching

3.1 HTTP Caching

HTTP caching leverages cache-control headers to instruct browsers and proxies on how long to cache responses. Use the following headers:

Cache-Control: max-age=3600

This header indicates that the resource can be cached for one hour.

3.2 CDN Caching

Utilize CDNs to cache static assets and API responses geographically closer to users. This reduces latency and improves loading times. Ensure to configure appropriate cache invalidation strategies to refresh stale data.

3.3 Application-Level Caching

Implement caching at the application layer using memory stores like Redis or in-memory caches. Below is an example using Redis in Node.js:

const redis = require('redis');
const client = redis.createClient();

function cacheMiddleware(req, res, next) {
    client.get(req.url, (err, data) => {
        if (err) throw err;
        if (data) {
            res.send(JSON.parse(data));
        } else {
            res.sendResponse = res.send;
            res.send = (body) => {
                client.setex(req.url, 3600, JSON.stringify(body));
                res.sendResponse(body);
            };
            next();
        }
    });
}