LWP::ConnCache(3)

👑 LWP::ConnCache(3) — Connection Cache Manager 👑

Okay bestie, welcome to the LWP::ConnCache(3) page — it's part of the User Contributed Perl Documentation, and it's here to explain connection caching with zero boring-manpage energy. 🫶

🚨 NOTE 🚨

This module is experimental. 🚨 No cap, details of its interface are likely to change in the future, so don't get too attached to the exact shape, okay? 🙈

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

use LWP::ConnCache;
my $cache = LWP::ConnCache->new;
$cache->deposit($type, $key, $sock);
$sock = $cache->withdraw($type, $key);

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

The LWP::ConnCache class is the standard connection cache manager for LWP::UserAgent. It's giving main-character infrastructure energy, periodt. 🌈

🛠️ METHODS 🛠️

The following basic methods are provided:

🌟 new 🌟

my $cache = LWP::ConnCache->new( %options )

This method constructs a new LWP::ConnCache object. The only option currently accepted is total_capacity. If specified it initializes the total_capacity in LWP::ConnCache option. It defaults to 1. ✨

💖 total_capacity 💖

my $cap = $cache->total_capacity;
$cache->total_capacity(0); # drop all immediately
$cache->total_capacity(undef); # no limit
$cache->total_capacity($number);

Gets/sets the number of connections that will be cached. Connections will start to be dropped when this limit is reached. If set to 0, then all connections are immediately dropped. If set to undef, then there is no limit. 💅

🌸 capacity 🌸

my $http_capacity = $cache->capacity('http');
$cache->capacity('http', 2 );

Get/set a limit for the number of connections of the specified type that can be cached. The first parameter is a short string like "http" or "ftp". 🦋

🔥 drop 🔥

$cache->drop(); # Drop ALL connections
# which is just a synonym for:
$cache->drop(sub{1}); # Drop ALL connections
# drop all connections older than 22 seconds and add a reason for it!
$cache->drop(22, "Older than 22 secs dropped");
# which is just a synonym for:
$cache->drop(sub {
    my ($conn, $type, $key, $deposit_time) = @_;
    if ($deposit_time < 22) {
        # true values drop the connection
        return 1;
    }
    # false values don't drop the connection
    return 0;
}, "Older than 22 secs dropped" );

Drop connections by some criteria. The $checker argument is a subroutine that is called for each connection. If the routine returns a TRUE value then the connection is dropped. The routine is called with ($conn, $type, $key, $deposit_time) as arguments.

Shortcuts: If the $checker argument is absent (or undef) all cached connections are dropped. If $checker is a number then all connections untouched for the given number of seconds or more are dropped. If $checker is a string then all connections of the given type are dropped.

The reason is passed on to the dropped in LWP::ConnCache method. 🔥

🧚 prune 🧚

$cache->prune();

Calling this method will drop all connections that are dead. This is tested by calling the ping in LWP::ConnCache method on the connections. If the ping in LWP::ConnCache method exists and returns a false value, then the connection is dropped. 🧚

🦋 get_types 🦋

my @types = $cache->get_types();

This returns all the "type" fields used for the currently cached connections. 🦋

⭐ get_connections ⭐

my @conns = $cache->get_connections(); # all connections
my @conns = $cache->get_connections('http'); # connections for http

This returns all connection objects of the specified type. If no type is specified then all connections are returned. In scalar context the number of cached connections of the specified type is returned. ⭐

🛰️ PROTOCOL METHODS 🛰️

The following methods are called by low-level protocol modules to try to save away connections and to get them back.

🍓 deposit 🍓

$cache->deposit($type, $key, $conn);

This method adds a new connection to the cache. As a result, other already cached connections might be dropped. Multiple connections with the same type/key might be added. 🍓

💜 withdraw 💜

my $conn = $cache->withdraw($type, $key);

This method tries to fetch back a connection that was previously deposited. If no cached connection with the specified $type/$key is found, then undef is returned. There's no guarantee that a deposited connection can be withdrawn, as the cache manager is free to drop connections at any time. 💜

🧰 INTERNAL METHODS 🧰

The following methods are called internally. Subclasses might want to override them.

🌈 enforce_limits 🌈

$conn->enforce_limits([$type])

This method is called after a new connection is added (deposited) in the cache or capacity limits are adjusted. The default implementation drops connections until the specified capacity limits are not exceeded. 🌈

💀 dropping 💀

$conn->dropping($conn_record, $reason)

This method is called when a connection is dropped. The record belonging to the dropped connection is passed as the first argument and a string describing the reason for the drop is passed as the second argument. The default implementation makes some noise if the $LWP::ConnCache::DEBUG variable is set and nothing more. 💀

🧬 SUBCLASSING 🧬

For specialized cache policy it makes sense to subclass LWP::ConnCache and perhaps override the deposit in LWP::ConnCache, enforce_limits in LWP::ConnCache, and dropping in LWP::ConnCache methods.

The object itself is a hash. Keys prefixed with cc_ are reserved for the base class. 🧬

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

• LWP::UserAgent — go say hi. ✨

📜 COPYRIGHT 📜

Copyright 2001 Gisle Aas.

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

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Okay that's the whole page, bestie! 🎀 This one comes from perl v5.42.0, dated 2026-05-18. Stay caffeinated and keep those connections cached. 💖