Is PINCache thread-safe?

Yes, PINCache is designed to be thread-safe using locks and GCD, allowing safe concurrent access from multiple threads without deadlocks, as emphasized in the README's description of parallel access.

How to set cache size limits in PINCache?

You can configure PINDiskCache properties to set byte or age limits for trimming. For example, adjust the cache's byteCount or use trimming methods manually, as implied in the README's mention of setting limits.

PINCache vs NSCache: which should I use?

PINCache offers two-tier storage with disk persistence and deadlock-free concurrency, while NSCache is memory-only and simpler. Choose PINCache for persistent, multi-threaded caching; NSCache for basic in-memory needs in less complex apps.

Can I use PINCache with Swift?

Yes, PINCache supports Swift with provided code examples in the README, such as using PINCache.shared().setObject for caching objects, though it may require casting Swift types to NSCoding-compatible forms.

Does PINCache handle memory warnings automatically?

On iOS, yes. PINMemoryCache clears itself when the app receives a memory warning or goes into the background, as specified in the README, ensuring efficient memory usage without extra code.

How to integrate PINCache in a SwiftUI app?

Integrate PINCache by initializing cache instances in view models or services, as it's framework-agnostic. Use it to cache data like images or API responses, but note it lacks built-in SwiftUI bindings, requiring manual state management.

Open-Awesome

PINCache

Apache-2.0Objective-C3.0.4

A fast, non-deadlocking parallel object cache for iOS, tvOS, watchOS, and macOS, designed to persist expensive-to-reproduce temporary objects.

GitHub

2.7k stars366 forks0 contributors

What is PINCache?

PINCache is a fast, non-deadlocking parallel object cache for Apple platforms (iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS) that stores temporary objects expensive to reproduce, like downloaded data or slow processing results. It combines an in-memory cache and a disk cache to provide flexible persistence while ensuring thread safety and preventing deadlocks in high-concurrency scenarios.

Target Audience

iOS, tvOS, watchOS, and macOS developers who need a reliable, high-performance caching solution for persisting data like images, API responses, or computed results in multi-threaded applications.

Value Proposition

Developers choose PINCache for its deadlock-free parallel access, two-tier storage architecture, and automatic memory management, making it a robust alternative to TMCache with improved reliability under heavy use.

Overview

Fast, non-deadlocking parallel object cache for iOS, tvOS and OS X

Use Cases

Best For

Caching downloaded images or media in iOS apps
Storing API responses to reduce network calls
Persisting expensive computation results across app sessions
Managing temporary data in multi-threaded macOS applications
Handling memory warnings efficiently by auto-clearing cache
Implementing offline data persistence with disk backup

Not Ideal For

Cross-platform projects targeting Android, web, or other non-Apple ecosystems
Swift codebases heavily using value types without NSCoding conformance
Simple single-threaded apps where a lighter cache like NSCache suffices
Teams needing built-in network integration or advanced automatic eviction policies like LRU

Pros & Cons

Pros

Deadlock-Free Concurrency

Uses Grand Central Dispatch (GCD) to ensure safe parallel access from multiple threads, fixing deadlocking issues present in the original TMCache fork, as stated in the README.

Flexible Two-Tier Storage

Combines PINMemoryCache for fast in-memory access and PINDiskCache for persistent storage, allowing objects to be immediately available in memory while written to disk in the background, coordinating both caches efficiently.

Automatic iOS Memory Management

On iOS, the memory cache automatically clears itself on memory warnings or when the app backgrounds, helping prevent crashes and improve performance without manual intervention.

Broad NSCoding Support

Can store any object conforming to NSCoding, including collections like NSArray, with efficient archiving that avoids duplication on disk, as demonstrated in the README examples.

Cons

Platform Lock-In

Limited to Apple platforms (iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS), making it unsuitable for cross-platform development or server-side use, as noted in the requirements section.

NSCoding Dependency

Requires objects to conform to NSCoding, which can be cumbersome in modern Swift code where NSCoding isn't always implemented, especially for Swift value types that need casting to NS types.

Manual Cache Management

Disk cache trimming requires manual configuration of byte or age limits; lacks sophisticated automatic eviction policies like LRU out of the box, relying on developer setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

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