Fast ASP.NET Core Sessions with IDistributedCache

Efficient session management is essential for providing a seamless and scalable user experience in ASP.NET Core applications. Nevertheless, traditional in-memory storage in sessions can lead to performance bottlenecks, especially in distributed environments where multiple servers need to access session data. By utilizing IDistributedCache, developers can integrate a distributed caching solution like NCache to optimize ASP.NET Core sessions, guaranteeing high availability, faster data retrieval, and improved application scalability.

Challenges of Session Storage in ASP.NET Core

ASP.NET Core utilizes ISession for session management, which traditionally relies on either an in-memory storage or a database. However, both approaches present challenges that can impact performance and scalability:

Limited Scalability: In-memory session storage struggles in multi-server environments as sessions are not shared across instances.
Database Overhead: Storing session data in a database increases latency and database load, reducing application responsiveness.
Session Volatility: In-memory sessions are prone to lost when the server restarts, causing potential disruptions for users.

Benefits of NCache IDistributedCache Provider for Session Storage

NCache, as an IDistributedCache provider for ASP.NET Core session storage, offers a range of advanced features that improve performance, reliability, and scalability:

Fast Session Retrieval: Utilizes in-memory caching to deliver low-latency session access, boosting application responsiveness.
Session Persistence: session data across server restarts, mitigating data loss and enhancing user experience.
Seamless Scalability: Distributes session storage dynamically across multiple application instances to support high-traffic workloads.
High Availability & Failover Support: Ensures continuous session access through replication and failover mechanisms, preventing session inconsistencies.
Optimized Serialization: Features dynamic compact serialization for optimal session storage and retrieval without performance degradation.

By leveraging these features, NCache enables ASP.NET Core applications to achieve robust, efficient, and scalable session management, making it ideal for enterprise-level deployments.

Figure: Distributed cache.

Configuring NCache as the IDistributedCache Provider

To enable distributed session storage using NCache, follow these steps:

Install the NCache NuGet Package

Run the following command to add NCache to your project:

1	Install-Package NCache.Microsoft.Extensions.Caching –Version x.x.x

Configure NCache in Program.cs

Modify your Program.cs file to register NCache as the session provider:

var builder = WebApplication.CreateBuilder(args);

builder.Services.AddNCacheDistributedCache(options =>

{

options.CacheName = "demoCache";

});

builder.Services.AddSession();

var app = builder.Build();

app.UseSession();

app.MapControllers();

app.Run();

Using Distributed Sessions in Controllers

Once configured, you can use ASP.NET Core sessions as follows:

public class HomeController : Controller

{

public IActionResult Index()

{

// Store data in session

HttpContext.Session.SetString("User", "JohnDoe");

// Retrieve session data

string? user = HttpContext.Session.GetString("User");

ViewBag.User = user;

return View();

}

Caching Complex Objects in Session

If you need to store complex objects in session, serialize them before storing:

public async Task<IActionResult> CacheProduct()

{

string cacheKey = "product";

Product product = new Product { Id = 1, Name = "Laptop", Price = 1200 };

var options = new DistributedCacheEntryOptions().SetSlidingExpiration(TimeSpan.FromMinutes(10));

byte[] productBytes = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(JsonSerializer.Serialize(product));

await HttpContext.Session.SetAsync(cacheKey, productBytes, options);

return View(product);

}

Conclusion

By integrating NCache with ASP.NET Core’s IDistributedCache interface, developers can optimize session management for high-performance applications. This approach guarantees data persistence, reduces database load, and enhances application scalability. By implementing these strategies, you can ensure seamless user sessions even in distributed environments, resulting in a more efficient and reliable application.

For further details, refer to: