NCache.OSS.Dapper 5.3.603

NCache Dapper Integration

NCache integration for Dapper. This package adds cache-aside query caching to Dapper's IDbConnection extension methods, using NCache as the distributed cache backing store.

Installation

Install-Package NCache.OSS.Dapper

or, using the .NET CLI:

dotnet add package NCache.OSS.Dapper

What is Installed

Installing this package adds the following NCache configuration files to your project:

• client.ncconf — Defines the cache client settings, including the cache name and the list of server nodes the client connects to.
• config.ncconf — Contains the cache configuration (cache topology, partitions, eviction policy, etc.) used when the cache is created/registered.

Prerequisites

• .NET Standard 2.0 compatible application.
• An NCache 5.3.603 (or later) server should be up and running, with the target cache already created/registered on it.

Getting Started

Setting up NCache

Before running your application (if NCache is not installed on the current machine), you need to update client.ncconf so the client knows which cache to connect to and where to find it:

1. Open client.ncconf.
2. Locate the cache entry named defaultCache and rename it to the name of your actual cache (the cache you created/registered on the NCache server).
3. Under the server settings, update the server address to point to one of the nodes in the cluster where that cache is running.

Example:

<cache id="defaultCache" ... >
  <server name="10.0.0.1" ... />
</cache>

Change defaultCache → YourCacheName, and 10.0.0.1 → the IP/hostname of a node hosting YourCacheName.

Setting up Package

QueryCached does not take a connection configuration instance directly as a parameter. Instead, it resolves its cache provider from a single, static registry (DapperNCache.CacheProvider). Build and connect an NCache ICache yourself using the NCache SDK, then register it once at application startup:

var cache = CacheManager.GetCache("defaultCache", new CacheConnectionOptions
{
    ServerList = new List<ServerInfo>
    {
        new ServerInfo("127.0.0.1", 9800)
    }
});

DapperNCache.CacheProvider = new NCacheCacheProvider(cache);

// Optional: applied to every cached item that doesn't specify its own CacheOptions.Expiration
DapperNCache.DefaultExpiration = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(30);
DapperNCache.DefaultIsSliding = false;

// Optional: observe cache failures that are swallowed (ErrorEnabled = false)
DapperNCache.OnCacheError = (ex, context) => logger.LogWarning(ex, context);

Because NCacheCacheProvider takes an already-configured ICache, you're free to build that instance however you need — CacheManager.GetCache with any CacheConnectionOptions, a client config file, TLS settings, custom retry/timeout policies, etc.

With the provider registered, call QueryCached directly on any IDbConnection, the same way you'd call Dapper's own Query:

using var connection = new SqlConnection(connectionString);

var users = connection.QueryCached<User>(
    "SELECT * FROM Users WHERE IsActive = @IsActive",
    new { IsActive = true },
    new CacheOptions { Expiration = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(5) });

A per-query CacheOptions.Expiration always overrides DapperNCache.DefaultExpiration; if neither is set, cached items never expire.

A custom provider can also be supplied per call instead of the globally registered one:

var users = connection.QueryCached<User>(sql, param, options, cacheProvider: myCustomProvider);

Configuration

Configure the connection to NCache by building your own ICache instance via the NCache SDK (e.g. CacheManager.GetCache) and passing it into NCacheCacheProvider. The cache must already exist on the server.

Configure per-query caching behavior through a CacheOptions instance.

The integration provides:

• QueryCached<T> — IDbConnection extension methods that wrap a Dapper query with cache-aside behavior backed by NCache.
• INCacheCacheProvider — The provider abstraction (Get/Set/Remove) used by the extension methods; implement this to plug in a custom cache backend.
• NCacheCacheProvider — The default INCacheCacheProvider implementation, constructed from an already-configured NCache ICache instance.
• DapperNCache — Static registry holding the globally configured CacheProvider, DefaultExpiration, DefaultIsSliding, and the OnCacheError hook.

When a cached entry is missing or expired, the query is executed against the database and the result is written back to the cache under a key derived from the database name, SQL text, parameters, and result type, so identical queries share a cache entry and differently-shaped results never collide.

Resources

• NCache Integration Docs
• Dapper
• Programmer's Guide

Technical Support

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Visit the Alachisoft Support Center to select a support resource appropriate for your issue.

To request additional features or report a documentation discrepancy, contact support@alachisoft.com.

License

Copyright © 2026 Alachisoft. All rights reserved.