Caching Database Queries 101: Techniques Every Developer Should Know

Use a query cache plugin: Many database systems provide query cache plugins that can be used to cache the results of frequently executed queries. These plugins typically allow you to configure the size of the cache and specify which queries should be cached. For example, in MySQL, you can use the query cache plugin to cache the results of SELECT queries.

Cache query results in your application: If your application frequently executes the same queries, you can cache the results in memory or on disk to avoid executing the query again. This can be especially useful for queries that are executed across multiple requests. For example, if your application frequently retrieves a list of products from a database, you can cache the results in memory and reuse them across requests.

Use prepared statements: Prepared statements are a feature of many database systems that allow you to pre-compile a query and reuse it with different parameters. Prepared statements can be cached by the database system, which can improve performance by reducing the overhead of parsing and optimizing the query. For example, in MySQL, you can use prepared statements to execute a query multiple times with different parameters.

Use indexes: Indexes are an important tool for optimizing query performance. By creating indexes on the columns that are frequently used in queries, you can reduce the amount of time it takes for the database system to retrieve the data. This can improve the overall performance of your queries and reduce the need for query caching.