Caching Proxy

This is a proxy application with a caching system that acts as an intermediary between the client and an external API. The application caches responses to improve performance and reduce load on the origin server.

Features

• HTTP proxy for any external API
• Response caching system
• Flexible configuration through command-line parameters
• Cache headers to monitor hits/misses
• Option to manually clear the cache

Requirements

• Node.js (version 12 or higher)
• npm (included with Node.js)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/DPHCo/caching-proxy.git
cd caching-proxy

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

Usage

The application can be started with different configuration parameters:

Basic Parameters

caching-proxy --port <number> --origin <url>

Available Parameters

• --port or -port: Port where the server will run
• --origin or -origin: URL of the external API to proxy
• --clear-cache or -clear-cache: Clears the cache when starting the server

Examples

1. Start the server on port 3000 to proxy an API:

caching-proxy --port 3000 --origin https://pokeapi.co/api/v2

2. Clear the cache:

caching-proxy --clear-cache

Response Headers

The application includes special headers in responses:

• X-Cache: Indicates if the response was served from cache
  • Hit: Response was served from cache
  • Miss: Response was obtained from the external API

Notes

• Cache is maintained in memory, so it will be lost when the server restarts
• It's recommended to use the --clear-cache option when cached data might be outdated
• The application is designed to handle JSON responses from the external API

Project Url

• https://roadmap.sh/projects/caching-server