Aiursoft.InMemoryKvDb 1.0.3

Aiursoft InMemoryKvDb

Aiursoft InMemoryKvDb is a lightweight, thread-safe, in-memory key-value database with support for automatic Least Recently Used (LRU) cache eviction. It allows for efficient storage and retrieval of key-value pairs while preventing unbounded memory usage by leveraging configurable LRU eviction policies.

This library is ideal for scenarios where you need an in-memory cache that automatically discards the least recently accessed items, such as storing temporary user data, caching API responses, or handling in-memory operations for temporary data processing, without worrying about potential memory overflows.

Why this project

The traditional way to create an In-Memory Key-Value Database in C# is:

public class InMemoryDatabase : ISingletonDependency
{
    private ConcurrentDictionary<Guid, Player> Players { get; } = new();
    
    public Player GetOrAddPlayer(Guid id)
    {
        lock (Players)
        {
            return Players.GetOrAdd(id, _ => new Player(id)
            {
                NickName = "Anonymous " + new Random().Next(1000, 9999)
            });
        }
    }
    
}

However, if a hacker keeps calling GetOrAddPlayer with a new Guid, the Players dictionary will grow infinitely. And cause you OutOfMemoryException.

Installation

First, install Aiursoft.InMemoryKvDb to your ASP.NET Core project from nuget.org:

dotnet add package Aiursoft.InMemoryKvDb

Add the service to your IServiceCollection in Startup.cs (or Program.cs in .NET 6 and later):

1. Registering the Service

In your ASP.NET Core application, register the LruMemoryStore service with your desired configuration in Startup.cs (or Program.cs for .NET 6+):

public class Player
{
    public Guid Id { get; set; }
    public string NickName { get; set; }
    
    public Player(Guid id)
    {
        Id = id;
    }
}

services.AddNamedLruMemoryStore<Player>(
    id => new Player(id) { NickName = "Anonymous " + new Random().Next(1000, 9999) },
    maxCachedItemsCount: 4096);

This configuration sets up a store with a maximum of 4096 cached items and uses a custom initialization function to generate a Player instance when a key is not found.

2. Accessing the Store

To use a specific named store, retrieve an instance of NamedLruMemoryStoreProvider<T> and access the desired named store:

var namedProvider = serviceProvider.GetRequiredService<NamedLruMemoryStoreProvider<Player>>();
var normalPlayerDb = namedProvider.GetStore("NormalPlayerDb");
var highLevelPlayerDb = namedProvider.GetStore("HighLevelPlayerDb");

// Retrieve or add a player to the normal player database
var playerId = Guid.NewGuid();
var player = normalPlayerDb.GetOrAdd(playerId);

3. LRU Eviction in Action

The LruMemoryStore automatically manages the eviction of least recently used items when the maximum capacity is reached. You can set different capacities for different named stores as needed.

Configuration Options

• maxCachedItemsCount: The maximum number of items allowed in the store before eviction starts. Default is 4096.

Example Scenario

Consider a multiplayer game where player data is cached in memory for fast access. Using Aiursoft.InMemoryKvDb, you can efficiently cache player profiles while automatically managing memory usage:

services.AddNamedLruMemoryStore<Player>(
    id => new Player(id) { NickName = "Guest" + new Random().Next(1000, 9999) },
    maxCachedItemsCount: 2048);

By using AddNamedLruMemoryStore, you ensure that memory usage remains bounded, reducing the risk of OutOfMemoryException from uncontrolled cache growth.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request for any feature requests, bug fixes, or other improvements.