Caching

Overview

The Caching page provides controls for ColdFusion's various caching mechanisms, which are critical for optimal performance. Proper cache configuration can dramatically reduce server load and improve response times by eliminating redundant compilation and database queries. This page covers template caching, trusted cache mode, query caching, and object caching settings.

Template Cache Settings

Query Caching Settings

Object Caching (Enterprise Edition)

Best Practices

Production Environment

• Enable trusted cache for maximum performance
• Set template cache size to accommodate all templates (monitor for evictions)
• Clear template cache after each code deployment
• Use query caching strategically with appropriate cachedwithin values
• Enable save class files to speed up restarts
• Monitor cache hit ratios and adjust sizes accordingly
• Set conservative memory limits to prevent OutOfMemory errors
• Document cache clearing procedures in deployment runbooks

Development Environment

• Disable trusted cache to see code changes immediately
• Keep template cache size moderate (1024-2048)
• Disable query caching or use very short timeouts
• Manually clear caches when debugging caching issues
• Test cache clearing procedures before production use

Security Considerations

• Ensure cached queries don't expose sensitive data longer than necessary
• Consider security implications of caching user-specific data
• Clear caches after security patches or sensitive code changes
• Implement cache key strategies that prevent cache poisoning
• Monitor for unusual cache behavior that might indicate attacks

Performance Tuning

• Trusted cache provides 10-30% performance improvement in production
• Query caching can reduce database load by 50-90% for read-heavy applications
• Monitor template cache evictions - increase size if evictions are frequent
• Use shorter cache timeouts for frequently changing data
• Balance cache size against available heap memory
• Profile application to identify best candidates for query caching
• Consider external caching solutions (Redis, Memcached) for distributed deployments

Common Issues and Solutions

Cache Clearing Strategies

Manual Cache Clearing

• Via Administrator: Click "Clear Template Cache Now" or "Clear Query Cache Now"
• Requires administrator login and manual action on each server
• Best for development or emergency situations

Programmatic Cache Clearing

// Clear template cache
cacheService = createObject("java", "coldfusion.server.ServiceFactory")
    .getCacheService();
cacheService.clearTrustedCache();

// Clear query cache
cacheService.clearQueryCache();

// Clear specific cached query
cacheClear("myQueryCacheName");

// Clear all application caches
applicationStop();

<!--- Clear template cache --->
<cfset cacheService = createObject("java", "coldfusion.server.ServiceFactory")
    .getCacheService()>
<cfset cacheService.clearTrustedCache()>

<!--- Clear query cache --->
<cfset cacheService.clearQueryCache()>

<!--- Clear specific cached query --->
<cfset cacheClear("myQueryCacheName")>

<!--- Clear all application caches --->
<cfset applicationStop()>

Deployment Script Integration

• Include cache clearing in deployment automation
• Call cache clearing endpoint after code deployment
• Verify cache was cleared on all cluster nodes
• Monitor for errors during cache clear operations

Monitoring Cache Performance

Key Metrics to Track

• Template Cache Hit Ratio: Should be 95%+ in production
• Template Cache Evictions: Frequent evictions indicate cache too small
• Query Cache Size: Monitor memory consumption
• Query Cache Hit Ratio: Varies by application (50-90% typical)
• Compilation Time: Spikes indicate cache clears or evictions

Monitoring Tools

• ColdFusion Server Monitor (included with Enterprise)
• FusionReactor APM (third-party, highly recommended)
• Custom logging via getMetrics() or similar APIs
• JVM monitoring tools (JConsole, VisualVM)

Related Resources