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backend apis

A caching layer you can actually invalidate

Add caching to a slow API and solve the hard half: knowing when to throw it away.

intermediateJava~22h

Why it matters

Adding a cache is easy and usually makes things worse. Being able to talk about invalidation, stampedes and staleness is a genuinely senior conversation.

What you build

  • Measured baseline latency
  • A cache with a deliberate eviction policy
  • Stampede protection on a cold key
  • An invalidation strategy you can explain

If you want more

  • Add a second cache tier
  • Add cache hit-rate metrics

Build it 5 steps

  • You cannot claim an improvement you did not baseline.

  • Measure again and write down the difference

Material for the whole build

Shows you can make something faster without making it wrong, which is the whole difficulty of caching.

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