Caffeine is a high-performance caching library for the Java virtual machine designed to manage object lifecycles within the application heap. It functions as a thread-safe, memory-resident data store that reduces latency by keeping frequently accessed objects available for immediate retrieval.
The library distinguishes itself through a sophisticated eviction strategy that balances recency and frequency to determine which entries to retain. It utilizes a frequency-based admission policy to evaluate the historical access patterns of new data, ensuring that the cache remains populated with the most relevant information. To maintain high throughput under concurrent access, the system employs lock-free event processing and segmented storage to minimize contention.
Beyond its core storage capabilities, the library provides automated mechanisms for data loading and entry eviction based on size, time, or reference strength. It also includes built-in support for monitoring and observability, allowing developers to track hit and miss rates alongside eviction counts to inform memory management decisions.
