Why Caching Improves iGGaming Platform Performance
Performance is one of the most important forms of competitive advantage in the iGaming industry. From casino review websites to affiliate platforms and gambling operators themselves, performance impacts every user interaction.
As the volume of traffic to these websites increases, the cost of generating the same data over and over begins to mount. Every database query, API request, and page render consumes computing resources that can contribute to slowdowns in the application.
Caching is one of the simplest solutions to this growing challenge. By caching information in a way that increases the speed with which that data can be retrieved, the entire platform sees an improvement in performance.
For the publishers, the affiliates, and the operators of these platforms, better website performance means better user experiences and better business performance.
What Is Caching?
Caching refers to the process of storing information in a way that allows for its rapid retrieval.
Instead of rebuilding the same information over and over, caching stores that information in a way that allows for its quick retrieval.
The objects that are stored in caches can include:
Website pages
Images
APIs
Database queries
Settings
Caching of these objects significantly reduces the processing time needed to retrieve the information.
Why Caching Matters
Caching helps iGaming platforms to minimize the number of database queries that must be performed on their platforms. Each database query takes a small amount of latency to perform, and these latencies can add up for users who are accessing the same information at the same time.
Caching allows platforms to:
Respond to requests faster
Reduce the number of servers that must be utilized
Scale according to the needs of the website
Reduce the costs of operating that platform
Increase availability of that platform to users
All of these benefits are particularly valuable during periods of high traffic.
Improve Website Speed
Faster websites provide users with a better experience and a positive impact upon the website’s business performance.
Caching helps with the speed of website elements such as:
Landing pages
Casino reviews
Bonus pages
Sportsbook pages
Category pages
Reducing the time that visitors have to wait for content to load will significantly increase their satisfaction with the website.
Reduce Database Load
The database is the busiest component of most iGaming platforms.
Requests are constantly made to retrieve the same information from that database.
Caching allows that information to be accessed directly from the platform’s memory instead of the database.
This reduces strain on the database and increases its available capacity.
Speed Up API Responses
iGaming websites rely upon APIs to retrieve much of their data.
Caching increases the performance of API calls to retrieve information such as:
Affiliate reports
Campaign statistics
Traffic analytics
Operator data
Configuration data
Reducing the number of times that APIs must be called retrieves that data will significantly speed up the website.
Handle Traffic Spikes More Efficiently
Traffic to many of these websites dramatically increases at certain times of the year or for specific events.
Caching absorbs much of that traffic by responding to the same requests without requiring additional server processing.
This ensures that the platform can handle spikes in traffic.
Improve Affiliate Tracking
Some affiliate data must be live. Other information changes at a much slower rate.
Caching increases the speed at which information such as affiliate data for:
Operators
Affiliate campaigns
Reports
Marketing assets
can be retrieved.
Although the live data is still processed in real time, the cached information is retrieved more quickly.
Enhance Dashboard Performance
The analytics dashboards used by many website owners, affiliates, and operators must load quickly.
Caching increases the performance of information such as:
Performance reports
Historical reports
Reports charts
User preferences
Data sets
These improved dashboards allow each of these groups to monitor the performance of their websites or campaigns without delays.
Reduce Infrastructure Costs
Reducing the load that each component of a platform places upon the others creates an infrastructure that is more efficient and cost-effective to operate.
Caching reduces the use of:
Database servers
CPUs
APIs
Data networks
Each of these components can be replaced with a smaller infrastructure, which reduces costs.
Improve Global Performance
For most iGaming websites, traffic comes from players in other countries. Performance is impacted by the location of those servers.
Content Delivery Networks distribute the static content of a website closer to the users of that content.
The result is that users from different parts of the world can access the same content with the same performance.
Benefits of using a CDN include:
Faster loading of static pages
Reduced latency
Increased availability of the pages
Reduced traffic to the origin server
Know What Shouldn't Be Cached
Not everything needs to be cached.
Data that must remain live and updated for each user and game should not be cached. Examples of such data include:
Payment confirmations
Player game balances
Player gaming sessions
Security tokens
Engineering teams must make a distinction between static and dynamic information when caching.
Monitor Cache Performance
All of the benefits of caching can only be realized if the caching system is measured appropriately.
Engineering teams should monitor the following metrics:
Cache hit rate
Cache miss rate
Response time
Database query reduction
Memory utilization
API latency
These metrics will ensure that caching remains a valuable component of the platform.
Refresh Cached Content Automatically
All cached content has a certain amount of validity. After that validity period, the content becomes outdated.
Many platforms automatically refresh content such as bonus information, operator information, reports, and configurations.
Keeping the content updated ensures that it remains accurate and valuable for the site’s users.
AI and Intelligent Caching
Artificial intelligence is beginning to automatically optimize caching strategies for each website.
These AI algorithms can analyze content and users to automatically:
Predict the content that will be popular
Change the caching duration for that content
Detect database queries that are inefficient
Optimize the allocation of memory
Suggest changes to the infrastructure
Each of these functions can lead to improved performance of the platform.
Common Caching Mistakes
In addition to the benefits that can result from proper caching, there are some mistakes that engineering teams should avoid.
Avoid caching information such as:
Player sensitive data
Outdated content
Content that does not benefit from caching
Data that is not monitored for performance
Dynamic content
Planning the caching strategy with these potential mistakes in mind will eliminate these problems entirely.
Best Practices
In order to maximize performance of the platform and the data within it, engineering teams should follow these best practices:
Cache as much static content as possible
Monitor cache performance regularly
Ensure that cached data is automatically refreshed
Cache content using a CDN
Optimize database queries
Separate dynamic and static data
Test the invalidation of cached data
Measure performance improvements
These practices will ensure that the caching system works as efficiently as possible.
The Future of Performance Engineering
Caching strategies will evolve in the near future along with the increasing innovations in cloud infrastructure.
Some of the innovations that may impact caching strategies include:
Artificial intelligence
Edge computing
Distributed caching
Predictive preloading
Intelligent cache routing
These innovations will allow websites and platforms to increase the speed at which data is delivered to users while supporting an increasing number of users.
Final Thoughts
Caching is among the most effective strategies for increasing the performance of an iGaming platform.
Caching allows a platform to reduce processing requirements, increase the speed at which information is delivered to users, and reduce the demand on the infrastructure of that website.
For the publishers, the affiliates, the operators, and the software that powers their websites, better performance means better user experiences, increased scalability, and reduced operational costs.
In a very competitive industry such as the iGaming space, optimizations such as caching will remain essential for creating high-performing platforms that can compete with one another.