Comparative Study of Caching Strategies for Lookup Data in Web Applications | IJCT Volume 12 – Issue 6 | IJCT-V12I6P61
International Journal of Computer Techniques
ISSN 2394-2231
Author
Artsiom Lazouski
Abstract
Static lookup data is a common type of data widely used in modern web applications. It is frequently accessed while changing infrequently. Despite its simplicity, inefficient handling of such data can introduce unnecessary database load, increased latency, and other performance issues. This paper presents a comparative study of different caching mechanisms for delivering static lookup data. Several approaches are evaluated, including a plain database no-cache approach, distributed caching using Redis, application-level in-memory caching, and browser-based caching using Cache-Control headers. The approaches are analyzed under cold, warm, and update scenarios to provide a comprehensive view of their behavior in realistic operating conditions. The study highlights practical trade-offs between the evaluated strategies based on experimental results and observed performance characteristics.
Keywords
web caching, lookup data, performance evaluation, distributed cache, in-memory cache, HTTP caching, latency optimization, web APIs
Conclusion
This study presented a comparative evaluation of several caching mechanisms for lookup data in web applications, considering characteristics such as latency, scalability, consistency, and network load. The results demonstrated that there is no universal solution suitable for every scenario or system architecture. Instead, different mechanisms provide advantages depending on workload patterns and deployment constraints.
Future work may extend this research by evaluating hybrid caching models that combine multiple strategies. Additionally, future studies may explore multi-region deployments, CDN caching, and other approaches that were not examined in this research. Evaluating system behavior under unstable network conditions and write-heavy workloads would also provide further insight into real-world system behavior.
References
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How to Cite This Paper
Artsiom Lazouski (2025). Comparative Study of Caching Strategies for Lookup Data in Web Applications. International Journal of Computer Techniques, 12(6). ISSN: 2394-2231.
