If you need to store cached web sites, it is a good idea to begin with a database that is optimized for caching. What database is built to perform this sort of task?
TL;DR: If you need to store cached data, such as cached web sites, you will want to be able to retrieve content quickly when needed. Some databases are built better for such purposes, since there will be a large amount of data stored and retrieved on a regular basis. A good option for this is an in-memory, key-value data store.
What is an In-Memory Database?
An in-memory database (often shortened to IMDB), is a database that stores data using the main memory of a machine as the primary storage facility, rather than storing the data on a disk as in a typical disk-optimized database.
Typically, the biggest feature of in-memory databases is that they offer faster performance than databases that use disk storage. This is due in part to fewer CPU instructions being run, as well as drastically improved query time, since the data is in main memory rather than needing to be read from a disk on the machine.
The differences between a disk database and an in-memory database. Source: OpenSourceForU.
What is a Key-Value Store?
A key-value store is a system in which an associative array (often called a map) is used for storing information, as opposed to the typical tabular structure associated with relational databases. This mapping results in key-value pairs that resemble the associative arrays in most all popular programming languages.
As a result, it is often easy for programmers to write queries for such databases, since these often use a JSON-like structure that is very familiar to most programmers. The figure below shows one example of how the key-value store Redis can store data and be queried for that data:
An example of a Redis query. Source: Redis.
Storing Cached Web Sites
When storing cached web sites, you will likely be storing extremely large amounts of data, since each stored web site will have files, images, media, and dependencies that will need to be stored to have a complete cache.
While a relational database could store the information, it would likely be less optimized than a NoSQL solution for this purpose, and would likely be slower than an in-memory database is likely to be far faster at storing and retrieving items from the massive amount of available data. With this in mind, a database that is an in-memory, key-value store is likely going to be the most effective and efficient solution.
Databases such as Redis and Memcached fall into this category. If you are using Ngnix as a reverse proxy server, Redis even has an Nginx module available that can serve the cached content from Redis directly. This makes Redis an excellent choice for performing the task of storing cached web sites and retrieving information from that store.
Get Your Own Redis Database
Whether your database tables will be simple or complex, Morpheus Virtual Appliance is a tool that allows you manage heterogeneous databases in a single dashboard. With Morpheus, you have support for SQL, NoSQL, and in-memory databases like Redis across public, private, and hybrid clouds. So, visit the Morpheus site for pricing information or to create a free account today!
