Cache Management

Optimize CDK Insights performance with intelligent caching. Learn how to configure, manage, and troubleshoot the analysis cache for your specific workflow.

💡 CI/CD Note: CDK Insights automatically disables caching when it detects a CI environment. No configuration needed - fresh analysis runs on every CI build.

What is CDK Insights Caching?

How It Works

Analysis results are stored locally
Subsequent scans reuse cached data
Cache expires based on TTL settings
Cache is in-memory and clears on process restart

Benefits

Faster analysis on repeated scans
Reduced CPU and memory usage
Lower network bandwidth usage
Better developer experience

Caching Strategies

Aggressive Caching

TTL: 24 hours

Cache everything for maximum speed

Best for:

Large projects with infrequent changes

Pros:

Fastest analysis
Minimal resource usage

Cons:

May miss recent changes
Requires manual cache clearing

{
  "cache": {
    "enabled": true,
    "ttl": 86400000,
    "maxSize": 2000
  }
}

Balanced Caching

TTL: 2 hours

Balance between speed and freshness

Best for:

Most development workflows

Pros:

Good performance
Reasonable freshness

Cons:

May need periodic clearing

{
  "cache": {
    "enabled": true,
    "ttl": 7200000,
    "maxSize": 1000
  }
}

Conservative Caching

TTL: 30 minutes

Minimal caching for maximum accuracy

Best for:

Critical security analysis

Pros:

Always up-to-date
No stale data

Cons:

Slower analysis
Higher resource usage

{
  "cache": {
    "enabled": true,
    "ttl": 1800000,
    "maxSize": 500
  }
}

No Caching

TTL: N/A

Disable caching completely

Best for:

One-time analysis (CI/CD auto-disables cache)

Pros:

Always fresh
No cache management

Cons:

Slowest analysis
Highest resource usage

{
  "cache": {
    "enabled": false
  }
}
// Note: In CI environments, cache is
// automatically disabled

Cache Operations

Check Cache Status

View current cache statistics and usage

Command:

cdk-insights cache-status

Example Output:

📊 Cache Status:
📁 Cache directory: /Users/user/.cdk-insights/cache
📂 Directory exists: Yes
📄 Cache file exists: Yes
📏 Cache file size: 45.2 KB
⚙️  Cache enabled: Yes
ℹ️  Note: Current cache is in-memory and clears on process restart

Clear Cache

Remove all cached analysis results

Command:

cdk-insights clear-cache

Example Output:

🗑️  Clearing analysis cache...
✅ Analysis cache cleared successfully
📁 Cache directory: /Users/user/.cdk-insights/cache
📊 Cache status: No persistent cache files

Troubleshooting Cache Issues

Cache grows too large

Symptoms:

Disk space warnings
Slow cache operations

Solution:

Reduce cache maxSize or clear cache periodically

Prevention: Set up automated cache cleanup

Commands:

cdk-insights clear-cache

cdk-insights cache-status

Stale analysis results

Symptoms:

Missing recent changes
Outdated recommendations

Solution:

Clear cache or reduce TTL

Prevention: Use shorter TTL for active development

Commands:

cdk-insights clear-cache

cdk-insights scan --no-cache

Cache corruption

Symptoms:

Analysis errors
Unexpected behavior

Solution:

Clear cache completely

Prevention: Regular cache health checks

Commands:

cdk-insights clear-cache

Cache not being used

Symptoms:

Always slow analysis
Cache shows as disabled

Solution:

Verify cache is enabled in configuration

Prevention: Monitor cache statistics

Commands:

cdk-insights cache-status

Check .cdk-insights.json

Cache Best Practices

Monitor Cache Performance

Regularly check cache status and size

Action:

Run cache-status weekly

Benefit: Identify optimization opportunities

Use Appropriate TTL

Set TTL based on your development cycle

Action:

2-4 hours (7,200,000-14,400,000 ms) for active development

Benefit: Balance performance and freshness

CI/CD Auto-Disables Cache

Cache is automatically disabled in CI environments

Action:

No action needed - CDK Insights detects CI and skips caching

Benefit: Ensures fresh analysis on every CI run without extra configuration

Configure Cache Limits

Set appropriate maxSize to control memory usage

Action:

Set maxSize based on project complexity

Benefit: Prevent excessive memory consumption

Ready to Optimize Your Cache?

Start by checking your current cache status and configuring the optimal strategy for your workflow.

Advanced Configuration Performance Guide

Documentation

Cache Management

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