CacheUtility v1.1.0 — nugetz

OnnoP/CacheUtilityv1.1.0

.NET 9.0

Advanced thread-safe generic wrapper for System.Runtime.Caching with comprehensive features including cache groups, dependency management, automatic population, and persistent disk storage. Key Features: • Cache groups for organized data management • Dependency relationships between cache groups • Automatic cache population with custom methods • Persistent cache storage that survives application restarts • Retrieve all items from a group with GetAllByGroup() • Comprehensive metadata and monitoring with GetAllCacheMetadata() • Detailed statistics and disk usage analysis • Multiple expiration strategies (sliding/absolute) • Auto-refresh with configurable intervals • Thread-safe operations with minimal lock contention • JSON-based serialization for persistent storage Perfect for high-performance applications requiring sophisticated caching patterns, data persistence, and comprehensive monitoring capabilities.

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Published

Mar 2, 2026

Get Started

$ dotnet add package CacheUtility

Readme

CacheUtility

A thread-safe, generic wrapper for System.Runtime.Caching that simplifies cache access and supports powerful caching patterns with persistent storage capabilities.

Overview

CacheUtility provides an easy-to-use abstraction over the standard .NET memory cache with additional features:

Automatic cache population with custom populate methods
Various expiration strategies (sliding and absolute)
Thread-safe operations with minimal lock contention
Support for cache groups for organized data management
Dependency relationships between cache groups
Automatic background refresh functionality for non-blocking updates
Persistent cache storage for data that survives application restarts
Comprehensive metadata and monitoring for cache analysis and debugging

Install-Package CacheUtility

dotnet add package CacheUtility

<PackageReference Include="CacheUtility" Version="1.1.0" />

using CacheUtility;

// Simple caching with automatic population
var userData = Cache.Get("user_123", "users", () => GetUserFromDatabase(123));

// Enable persistent cache (optional)
Cache.EnablePersistentCache();

// Cache with auto-refresh every 5 minutes
var config = Cache.Get("app_config", "settings", 
    TimeSpan.FromHours(1), 
    () => LoadConfiguration(), 
    TimeSpan.FromMinutes(5));

using CacheUtility;

// Basic usage with default 30-minute sliding expiration
var result = Cache.Get("MyKey", "MyGroupName", () => 
{
    return MyLongRunningTask();
});

// With custom sliding expiration
var result = Cache.Get("MyKey", "MyGroupName", TimeSpan.FromHours(1), () => 
{
    return MyLongRunningTask();
});

// With absolute expiration
var result = Cache.Get("MyKey", "MyGroupName", DateTime.Now.AddDays(1), () => 
{
    return MyLongRunningTask();
});

// Cache user data with a sliding expiration
var userData = Cache.Get($"User_{userId}", "UserProfiles", TimeSpan.FromMinutes(30), () =>
{
    return database.GetUserById(userId);
});

// Cache application settings with absolute expiration
var settings = Cache.Get("GlobalSettings", "AppConfig", DateTime.Now.AddHours(12), () =>
{
    return configurationService.LoadSettings();
});

var result = await Cache.Get("MyKey", "MyGroupName", async () => 
{
    return await MyLongRunningTaskAsync();
});

Cache.Remove("MyKey", "MyGroupName");

Cache.RemoveGroup("MyGroupName");

Cache.RemoveGroup("GroupA", "GroupB", "GroupC");

var allItems = Cache.GetAllByGroup("MyGroupName");

// Iterate through all items in the group
foreach (var kvp in allItems)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Key: {kvp.Key}, Value: {kvp.Value}");
}

// Access specific items if you know the key
if (allItems.ContainsKey("MySpecificKey"))
{
    var specificItem = allItems["MySpecificKey"];
}

// Enable with default options (%LOCALAPPDATA%/CacheUtility/)
Cache.EnablePersistentCache();

// All cache operations now automatically persist to disk
var userData = Cache.Get("userProfile", "users", () => GetUserFromDatabase(userId));

// Enable with custom options
Cache.EnablePersistentCache(new PersistentCacheOptions 
{
    BaseDirectory = @"C:\MyApp\Cache",
    MaxFileSize = 50 * 1024 * 1024 // 50MB limit per file
});

%LOCALAPPDATA%/CacheUtility/
├── users_userProfile_123.cache     # Cache data
├── users_userProfile_123.meta      # Expiration metadata
├── reports_monthly_2024.cache
├── reports_monthly_2024.meta
└── settings_appConfig.cache

var options = new PersistentCacheOptions
{
    BaseDirectory = @"C:\MyApp\Cache",  // Custom cache directory
    MaxFileSize = 10 * 1024 * 1024      // 10MB max per cached item (0 = no limit)
};

Cache.EnablePersistentCache(options);

bool isEnabled = Cache.IsPersistentCacheEnabled;

var options = Cache.GetPersistentCacheOptions();
if (options != null)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Cache directory: {options.BaseDirectory}");
    Console.WriteLine($"Max file size: {options.MaxFileSize} bytes");
}

var stats = Cache.GetPersistentCacheStatistics();
Console.WriteLine($"Cache enabled: {stats.IsEnabled}");
Console.WriteLine($"Cache directory: {stats.BaseDirectory}");
Console.WriteLine($"Total files: {stats.TotalFiles}");
Console.WriteLine($"Cache files: {stats.CacheFiles}");
Console.WriteLine($"Meta files: {stats.MetaFiles}");
Console.WriteLine($"Orphaned files: {stats.OrphanedFiles}");
Console.WriteLine($"Total size: {stats.TotalSizeFormatted}");
Console.WriteLine($"Average file size: {stats.AverageFileSizeFormatted}");
Console.WriteLine($"Largest file: {stats.LargestFileSize:N0} bytes");
Console.WriteLine($"Smallest file: {stats.SmallestFileSize:N0} bytes");

if (stats.OldestFileTime.HasValue)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Oldest file: {stats.OldestFileTime:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss}");
    Console.WriteLine($"Directory age: {stats.DirectoryAge?.Days} days");
}

if (stats.NewestFileTime.HasValue)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Newest file: {stats.NewestFileTime:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss}");
    Console.WriteLine($"Last activity: {stats.TimeSinceLastActivity?.TotalMinutes:F1} minutes ago");
}

// Manually trigger cleanup of expired persistent cache files
Cache.CleanupExpiredPersistentCache();

// Disable persistent caching (returns to memory-only)
Cache.DisablePersistentCache();

var metadata = Cache.GetAllCacheMetadata();
foreach (var item in metadata)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Key: {item.CacheKey}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  Is Persisted: {item.IsPersisted}");
    
    if (item.IsPersisted)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"  File Path: {item.PersistentFilePath}");
        Console.WriteLine($"  File Size: {item.PersistentFileSize:N0} bytes");
        Console.WriteLine($"  Last Persisted: {item.LastPersistedTime:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss}");
    }
}

// Enable persistent cache
Cache.EnablePersistentCache();

// Cache expensive data that should survive restarts
var expensiveData = Cache.Get("dailyReport", "reports", () => GenerateDailyReport());

// After application restart, data is automatically loaded from disk
var sameData = Cache.Get("dailyReport", "reports", () => GenerateDailyReport());
// No need to regenerate - loaded from persistent storage!

// Cache large datasets that might not fit entirely in memory
var bigData = Cache.Get("dataset_2024", "analytics", () => LoadHugeDataset());

// Cache user preferences that should persist across sessions
var userPrefs = Cache.Get($"prefs_{userId}", "userdata", () => LoadUserPreferences(userId));

// Get metadata for all cached items
var allMetadata = Cache.GetAllCacheMetadata();

foreach (var metadata in allMetadata)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Key: {metadata.CacheKey}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  Group: {metadata.GroupName}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  Type: {metadata.DataType}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  Size: {metadata.EstimatedMemorySize:N0} bytes");
    Console.WriteLine($"  Last Refresh: {metadata.LastRefreshTime:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  Refresh Interval: {metadata.RefreshInterval}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  Is Refreshing: {metadata.IsRefreshing}");
    Console.WriteLine($"  Populate Method: {metadata.PopulateMethodName ?? "Unknown"}");
    
    // Auto-refresh information
    if (metadata.NextRefreshTime.HasValue)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"  Next Refresh: {metadata.NextRefreshTime:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss}");
        var timeUntilRefresh = metadata.NextRefreshTime.Value - DateTime.Now;
        Console.WriteLine($"  Time Until Refresh: {timeUntilRefresh:hh\\:mm\\:ss}");
    }
    
    // Persistent cache information
    Console.WriteLine($"  Persistent Cache Enabled: {metadata.PersistentCacheEnabled}");
    if (metadata.IsPersisted)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"  Persisted to Disk: Yes");
        Console.WriteLine($"  Cache File: {metadata.PersistentFilePath}");
        Console.WriteLine($"  Meta File: {metadata.PersistentMetaFilePath}");
        Console.WriteLine($"  Cache File Size: {metadata.PersistentFileSize:N0} bytes");
        Console.WriteLine($"  Meta File Size: {metadata.PersistentMetaFileSize:N0} bytes");
        Console.WriteLine($"  Total Disk Size: {metadata.TotalPersistentSize:N0} bytes");
        Console.WriteLine($"  Last Persisted: {metadata.LastPersistedTime:yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss}");
        Console.WriteLine($"  File Age: {metadata.PersistentFileAge?.TotalHours:F1} hours");
    }
    else if (metadata.PersistentCacheEnabled)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"  Persisted to Disk: No (not yet saved)");
    }
    
    if (metadata.CollectionCount.HasValue)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"  Items in Collection: {metadata.CollectionCount}");
    }
    
    Console.WriteLine(); // Blank line for readability
}

// You can filter the results as needed
var userDataItems = allMetadata.Where(m => m.GroupName == "UserProfiles");
var itemsWithAutoRefresh = allMetadata.Where(m => m.NextRefreshTime.HasValue);
var persistedItems = allMetadata.Where(m => m.IsPersisted);

// Direct method reference - shows actual method name
Cache.Get("key1", "group", MyDataService.LoadUserData);
// PopulateMethodName: "MyDataService.LoadUserData"

// Lambda expression - shows indicator
Cache.Get("key2", "group", () => database.GetUser(123));
// PopulateMethodName: "[Lambda/Anonymous]"

// Anonymous method - shows indicator  
Cache.Get("key3", "group", delegate() { return "test"; });
// PopulateMethodName: "[Lambda/Anonymous]"

Cache.RemoveAll();

Cache.RemoveAllButThese(new List<string> { "CriticalData", "ApplicationSettings" });

Cache.Remove(new List<string> { "UserProfile", "123" }, "UserData");
// This will remove any cache key containing both "UserProfile" and "123"

// Cache some user data
Cache.Get("User1", "UserData", () => GetUserInfo(1));
Cache.Get("User2", "UserData", () => GetUserInfo(2));
Cache.Get("User3", "UserData", () => GetUserInfo(3));

// Get all cached items from the group
var allUsers = Cache.GetAllByGroup("UserData");
Console.WriteLine($"Found {allUsers.Count} cached users");

// Process each cached item
foreach (var user in allUsers)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"User Key: {user.Key}, Data: {user.Value}");
}

// Cache data with automatic refresh every 5 minutes
var userData = Cache.Get("user_123", "UserProfiles", 
    TimeSpan.FromHours(1), // Sliding expiration
    () => database.GetUserById(123), // Populate method
    refresh: TimeSpan.FromMinutes(5) // Refresh interval
);

// Even if GetExpensiveData() takes 10 seconds to execute,
// subsequent cache calls will return immediately with existing data
var expensiveData = Cache.Get("expensive_key", "DataGroup",
    TimeSpan.FromMinutes(30),
    () => GetExpensiveDataFromAPI(), // Slow operation
    refresh: TimeSpan.FromMinutes(2)
);

// This call returns instantly, even if refresh is running in background
var sameData = Cache.Get("expensive_key", "DataGroup",
    TimeSpan.FromMinutes(30),
    () => GetExpensiveDataFromAPI(),
    refresh: TimeSpan.FromMinutes(2)
);

var weatherData = Cache.Get($"weather_{cityId}", "WeatherCache",
    TimeSpan.FromHours(2), // Cache for 2 hours max, after the cache item last has been accessed
    () => weatherAPI.GetCurrentWeather(cityId),
    refresh: TimeSpan.FromMinutes(15) // Refresh every 15 minutes
);

var reports = Cache.Get("monthly_reports", "Reports",
    TimeSpan.FromHours(4),
    () => database.GenerateMonthlyReports(), // Expensive query
    refresh: TimeSpan.FromHours(1) // Refresh hourly
);

var config = Cache.Get("app_config", "Configuration",
    TimeSpan.FromDays(1),
    () => configService.LoadConfiguration(),
    refresh: TimeSpan.FromMinutes(30) // Check for config updates every 30 minutes
);

var result = Cache.Get("MyKey", "MyGroupName", 
    DateTime.Now.AddHours(1), // Either Absolute expiration
    TimeSpan.FromMinutes(10), // Or Sliding expiration
    CacheItemPriority.Default, // Priority
    () => MyLongRunningTask(),
    removedCallback: (args) => // Optional callback
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Cache item removed. Key: {args.CacheItem.Key}, Reason: {args.RemovedReason}");
    });

var fileData = Cache.Get("FileData", "Files", 
    TimeSpan.FromMinutes(30), 
    CacheItemPriority.Default,
    () => LoadFileData("myfile.txt"),
    removedCallback: (args) =>
    {
        if (args.CacheItem.Value is IDisposable disposable)
        {
            disposable.Dispose();
        }
    });

var config = Cache.Get("AppConfig", "Configuration", 
    DateTime.Now.AddHours(12), 
    () => LoadConfiguration(),
    removedCallback: (args) =>
    {
        // Refresh dependent services when configuration changes
        if (args.RemovedReason == CacheEntryRemovedReason.Expired)
        {
            RefreshDependentServices();
        }
    });

// Set up dependencies
Cache.SetDependencies("ParentGroup", "ChildGroup1", "ChildGroup2");

// Now when ParentGroup is removed, ChildGroup1 and ChildGroup2 will also be removed
Cache.RemoveGroup("ParentGroup");

// Set up dependencies
Cache.SetDependencies("UserData", "UserProfiles", "UserPreferences", "UserActivity");
Cache.SetDependencies("UserProfiles", "ProfilePhotos");

// Now when UserData is cleared, all dependent caches are also cleared
Cache.RemoveGroup("UserData");
// This will clear UserData, UserProfiles, ProfilePhotos, UserPreferences, and UserActivity

// Basic get with populate method
T Get<T>(string cacheKey, string groupName, Func<T> populateMethod)

// Get with sliding expiration
T Get<T>(string cacheKey, string groupName, TimeSpan slidingExpiration, Func<T> populateMethod)

// Get with absolute expiration
T Get<T>(string cacheKey, string groupName, DateTime absoluteExpiration, Func<T> populateMethod)

// Get with auto-refresh
T Get<T>(string cacheKey, string groupName, TimeSpan slidingExpiration, Func<T> populateMethod, TimeSpan refresh)

// Get with callback
T Get<T>(string cacheKey, string groupName, TimeSpan slidingExpiration, Func<T> populateMethod, CacheEntryRemovedCallback removedCallback)

// Remove single item
void Remove(string cacheKey, string groupName)

// Remove entire group
void RemoveGroup(string groupName)

// Remove all cache items
void RemoveAll()

// Get all items from a group
IEnumerable<T> GetAllByGroup<T>(string groupName)

// Add dependency between groups
void AddGroupDependency(string dependentGroup, string parentGroup)

// Enable with defaults
void EnablePersistentCache()

// Enable with custom options
void EnablePersistentCache(PersistentCacheOptions options)

// Disable persistent cache
void DisablePersistentCache()

// Check if enabled
bool IsPersistentCacheEnabled { get; }

// Get current options
PersistentCacheOptions GetPersistentCacheOptions()

// Get comprehensive statistics
PersistentCacheStatistics GetPersistentCacheStatistics()

// Manual cleanup of expired files
void CleanupExpiredPersistentCache()

// Get metadata for all cached items
IEnumerable<CacheItemMetadata> GetAllCacheMetadata()

public class CacheItemMetadata
{
    // Basic Information
    public string CacheKey { get; set; }
    public string GroupName { get; set; }
    public string DataType { get; set; }
    public long EstimatedMemorySize { get; set; }
    
    // Refresh Information
    public DateTime LastRefreshTime { get; set; }
    public DateTime? LastRefreshAttempt { get; set; }
    public TimeSpan RefreshInterval { get; set; }
    public DateTime? NextRefreshTime { get; set; }
    public bool IsRefreshing { get; set; }
    public DateTime? RefreshStartTime { get; set; }
    
    // Collection Information
    public int? CollectionCount { get; set; }
    
    // Method Information
    public string PopulateMethodName { get; set; }
    
    // Persistent Cache Information
    public bool PersistentCacheEnabled { get; set; }
    public bool IsPersisted { get; set; }
    public string PersistentFilePath { get; set; }
    public string PersistentMetaFilePath { get; set; }
    public long PersistentFileSize { get; set; }
    public long PersistentMetaFileSize { get; set; }
    public long TotalPersistentSize { get; }
    public DateTime? LastPersistedTime { get; set; }
    public TimeSpan? PersistentFileAge { get; }
}

public class PersistentCacheStatistics
{
    // Basic Information
    public bool IsEnabled { get; set; }
    public string BaseDirectory { get; set; }
    
    // File Counts
    public int TotalFiles { get; set; }
    public int CacheFiles { get; set; }
    public int MetaFiles { get; set; }
    public int OrphanedFiles { get; set; }
    
    // Size Information
    public long TotalSizeBytes { get; set; }
    public string TotalSizeFormatted { get; }
    public long AverageFileSize { get; }
    public string AverageFileSizeFormatted { get; }
    public long LargestFileSize { get; set; }
    public long SmallestFileSize { get; set; }
    
    // Time Information
    public DateTime? OldestFileTime { get; set; }
    public DateTime? NewestFileTime { get; set; }
    public TimeSpan? DirectoryAge { get; }
    public TimeSpan? TimeSinceLastActivity { get; }
}

public class PersistentCacheOptions
{
    // Base directory for cache files (default: %LOCALAPPDATA%/CacheUtility/)
    public string BaseDirectory { get; set; }
    
    // Maximum size for individual cache files in bytes (default: 10MB)
    public long MaxFileSize { get; set; }
}

// Dispose all resources
void Dispose()

// Check if item exists in cache
bool Exists(string cacheKey, string groupName)

Operation	Memory Cache	Persistent Cache (Enabled)	Overhead
Cache Hit	~0.001ms	~0.001ms	0%
Cache Miss (Population)	~1.2ms	~1.3ms	~8%
Group Removal	~0.5ms	~2.1ms	~320%
Metadata Retrieval	~0.8ms	~1.1ms	~37%

OnnoP/CacheUtilityv1.1.0

Get Started

Readme

CacheUtility

Overview

Installation

Package Manager Console

.NET CLI

PackageReference

Quick Start

Basic usage

Simple caching

Caching with expiration

Basic examples

Caching user data

Caching application settings

Async operations

Cache management

Removing individual items

Group operations

Retrieving all items from a group

Persistent Cache

Enabling persistent cache

How persistent cache works

File structure

Configuration options

Persistent cache management

Enhanced metadata for persistent cache

Automatic cleanup

Use cases for persistent cache

Best practices for persistent cache

Cache metadata and monitoring

Available metadata properties

Populate method names

Use cases for metadata

Global cache operations

Intermediate features

Removing multiple items

Working with multiple cached items

Advanced features

Automatic data refresh

Basic refresh usage

Non-blocking behavior example

Real-world refresh scenarios

Cache removal callbacks

Basic removal callback

Removal reasons

Practical callback examples

Cache dependencies

Cascading cache invalidation

Best practices

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Persistent Cache Not Working

Performance Issues

Memory Usage Concerns

Orphaned Files

Getting Help

Performance considerations

When to use cache groups vs. key prefixes

API Reference

Core Cache Operations

Get Methods

Remove Methods

Group Operations

Persistent Cache Operations

Configuration

Management

Monitoring and Metadata

Metadata Operations

CacheItemMetadata Properties

PersistentCacheStatistics Properties

PersistentCacheOptions Properties

Utility Methods

Cache Management

Performance Benchmarks

Memory management

Thread safety