nextjs-caching

Development

Configure Next.js cache layers, invalidation, and cache-component APIs. Use when choosing `fetch` caching, `use cache`, tags, or stale-data debugging in Next.js.

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Caching Architecture

Priority: P1 (HIGH)

Decision Map

HTTP reads: start with fetch cache controls (force-cache, no-store, next.revalidate, tags). For content updated a few times per day, ISR with revalidate is often the right default.
Custom function/component caching: prefer use cache with cacheLife() and cacheTag() when the project uses cache components.
Per-render dedupe: use React cache() for repeated server reads in one render pass.
Mutation invalidation: revalidateTag() for data ownership, revalidatePath() for route-level refresh, router.refresh() for client view refresh after mutation.

Recipe

Classify the read: static, periodically fresh, request-specific, or user-specific.
Pick the narrowest cache: request memoization before persistent cache, tag invalidation before path-wide invalidation.
Tag what mutates together: align tags with data ownership, not page names by habit.
Keep personal data private: avoid broad route caching for request-specific state.
Test stale paths: mutation -> invalidation -> refreshed UI.

Verify

Cache choice matches data ownership and freshness needs.
Mutations revalidate the tags or paths they invalidate.
User-specific data does not leak into shared cache.
Slow reads stream behind Suspense instead of blocking the whole route.
Existing code using unstable_cache has a migration note if cache components are now enabled.

Layer	Where	Control
Request Memoization	Server render	React `cache()`
Data Cache	Server	`fetch`, `use cache`, tags
Full Route Cache	Server	static rendering / revalidation
Router Cache	Client	`router.refresh()`

Anti-Patterns

No shared cache for personal data: request-specific state needs a private strategy or no-store path.
No path-wide invalidation by habit: prefer tags when data ownership is narrower.
No mutation without revalidation: stale writes are correctness bugs.
No cache folklore: verify with official cache docs for the project's enabled features.