explaingit

zzak/mruby-memcached

Analysis updated 2026-07-12 · repo last pushed 2014-03-14

CAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · moderate

TLDR

A plugin that lets mruby applications store and retrieve data in Memcached, a fast in-memory cache, using simple commands with support for multiple servers and data replication.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Connect to Memcached
      Store and fetch data
      Set expiration times
    Features
      Multiple server support
      Data replication
      Automatic expiry
    Tech stack
      C language
      mruby
      libmemcached
    Use cases
      Cache session data
      Cache API responses
      Embedded systems caching
    Audience
      mruby developers
      Embedded system builders
Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Cache session data in a lightweight mruby web server so users stay logged in between requests.

USE CASE 2

Store API responses temporarily to avoid recomputing expensive data on every request.

USE CASE 3

Set up multiple Memcached servers with replication so cached data survives a server failure.

USE CASE 4

Add fast temporary data storage to an embedded system running mruby without a full database.

What is it built with?

CmrubylibmemcachedMemcached

How does it compare?

zzak/mruby-memcachedcalmh/pre-gitcaspermeijn/pinetime-battery-measurement
LanguageCCC
Last pushed2014-03-142016-08-122020-05-12
MaintenanceDormantDormantDormant
Setup difficultymoderatehardmoderate
Complexity2/51/53/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires compiling a C extension that bridges mruby and libmemcached, meaning you need both mruby and libmemcached development headers installed.

The README does not mention a license, so you would need to check the repository files or contact the author before using it.

In plain English

mruby-memcached lets you talk to a Memcached server from mruby code. Memcached is a popular in-memory key-value store that applications use to cache frequently accessed data, and mruby is a lightweight, embeddable version of the Ruby programming language. Without this gem, mruby wouldn't have a straightforward way to store and retrieve data in Memcached. In practice, you connect to a Memcached server by providing its address, then use simple commands to save and fetch data. You can store a value under a key, retrieve it later by that key, and optionally set a time limit after which the data expires automatically. The library also supports connecting to multiple Memcached servers at once and creating replicas, meaning the same data gets copied across several servers so it's still available if one goes down. Someone who would reach for this is typically building an application in mruby that needs fast, temporary data storage. For example, if you're building a lightweight web server or embedded system in mruby and want to cache session data or API responses so you don't have to recompute them every time, this library gives you that capability. The replica feature is useful when you need redundancy across multiple cache servers, so a single server failure doesn't wipe out your cached data. The project is written in C and acts as a bridge between mruby and libmemcached, which is an established C library for communicating with Memcached servers. This approach means the gem benefits from libmemcached's maturity and performance rather than reimplementing the protocol from scratch. The README doesn't go into detail on error handling, advanced configuration, or performance characteristics beyond the basic usage examples shown.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I have an mruby application and need to cache data in Memcached. Write a script using mruby-memcached that connects to a server at 127.0.0.1:11211, stores a value under the key 'greeting', and then retrieves and prints it.
Prompt 2
Help me set up mruby-memcached to connect to three Memcached servers with replication enabled, so that if one server goes down the cached data is still available from the others.
Prompt 3
Show me how to use mruby-memcached to store a value that automatically expires after 60 seconds, and explain how the expiration works.
Prompt 4
I want to cache API response JSON in Memcached from my mruby web server. Write a helper method using mruby-memcached that checks the cache first and only fetches fresh data on a miss.

Frequently asked questions

What is mruby-memcached?

A plugin that lets mruby applications store and retrieve data in Memcached, a fast in-memory cache, using simple commands with support for multiple servers and data replication.

What language is mruby-memcached written in?

Mainly C. The stack also includes C, mruby, libmemcached.

Is mruby-memcached actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2014-03-14).

What license does mruby-memcached use?

The README does not mention a license, so you would need to check the repository files or contact the author before using it.

How hard is mruby-memcached to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is mruby-memcached for?

Mainly developer.

Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

This repo across BitVibe Labs

Verify against the repo before relying on details.