--- title: Cache Stampede Protection in ASP.NET Core | daily.dev description: Cache stampedes occur when many requests hit an expired cache entry simultaneously, all querying the underlying data source at once and overloading databases... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/cache-stampede-protection-in-asp-net-core-tilzoqqdh twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Cache Stampede Protection in ASP.NET Core | daily.dev og:description: Cache stampedes occur when many requests hit an expired cache entry simultaneously, all querying the underlying data source at once and overloading databases... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/cache-stampede-protection-in-asp-net-core-tilzoqqdh og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/tiLzoQqdH.png og:image:alt: Cache Stampede Protection in ASP.NET Core og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Cache Stampede Protection in ASP.NET Core **[NikolaTech](https://daily.dev/sources/nikolatech)** · 5 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Cache stampedes occur when many requests hit an expired cache entry simultaneously, all querying the underlying data source at once and overloading databases or APIs. Mitigation strategies include refresh-ahead (refreshing entries before expiry) and request coalescing (locking so only one request repopulates the cache). The post walks through a basic ASP.NET Core in-memory caching example, then shows a manual locking approach using SemaphoreSlim, discusses per-key locking as a more efficient alternative, and recommends caching libraries like FusionCache that provide built-in stampede protection and additional features. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is a cache stampede and how do I prevent it in ASP.NET Core? A cache stampede happens when multiple requests hit an expired cache entry at the same time, causing all of them to query the underlying database or API simultaneously and overload it. Prevention strategies include refresh-ahead, which refreshes entries before they expire, and request coalescing via locking, where only one request repopulates the cache while others wait for the result. _daily.dev surfaces practical caching patterns for developers hardening high-traffic ASP.NET Core services._ ### Should I use a single semaphore or per-key locking to prevent cache stampedes? Per-key locking is better because a single semaphore blocks requests for all cache keys even when they target different data, unnecessarily reducing throughput. Locking per key only blocks requests for the specific key being refreshed, letting requests for other keys proceed concurrently, which improves performance in high-traffic systems. _Developers weighing locking strategies for caching can compare approaches like this through daily.dev._ ### What are alternatives to manually implementing cache stampede protection in .NET? Caching libraries such as FusionCache provide built-in stampede protection along with additional features, handling cold starts and concurrent access efficiently without requiring manual semaphore or locking code. Using such a library is generally more convenient and better optimized than hand-rolled locking logic. _daily.dev helps .NET developers track caching libraries worth adopting instead of reinventing stampede protection._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Cache stampede: when our cache turned against us](https://daily.dev/posts/cache-stampede-when-our-cache-turned-against-us-4vfw3uolu) · The Art of Simplicity · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [Cache Me If You Can: A .NET Caching Survival Guide](https://daily.dev/posts/cache-me-if-you-can-a-net-caching-survival-guide-sydnkz4ko) · ITNEXT · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [Understanding Race Conditions in ASP.NET Core](https://daily.dev/posts/understanding-race-conditions-in-asp-net-core-srb3ao9gq) · Telerik · 8 upvotes · 0 comments - [How to Build a High-Performance Cache Without External Libraries](https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-build-a-high-performance-cache-without-external-libraries-phts4izvp) · Milan Jovanović · 6 upvotes · 0 comments - [Taming the ClickHouse Cache Stampede](https://daily.dev/posts/taming-the-clickhouse-cache-stampede-2akcfcl1c) · BigData Boutique blog · 4 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#c#](https://daily.dev/tags/c#), [#distributed-systems](https://daily.dev/tags/distributed-systems), [#aspnet](https://daily.dev/tags/aspnet) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/cache-stampede-protection-in-asp-net-core-tilzoqqdh) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Cache Stampede Protection in ASP.NET Core","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/cache-stampede-protection-in-asp-net-core-tilzoqqdh","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/cache-stampede-protection-in-asp-net-core-tilzoqqdh"},"datePublished":"2026-10-04T13:05:48.150Z","dateModified":"2026-10-04T13:18:31.937Z","description":"Cache stampedes occur when many requests hit an expired cache entry simultaneously, all querying the underlying data source at once and overloading databases...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/ce20acfb7784131e25a5a47dcd3c6994?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/ce20acfb7784131e25a5a47dcd3c6994?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"NikolaTech","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NikolaTech","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--1h2fO6FL--/f_auto,q_auto/v1791119050/logos/nikolatech?_a=BAMAMicg0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/nikolatech"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/cache-stampede-protection-in-asp-net-core-tilzoqqdh","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"c#,distributed-systems,aspnet","timeRequired":"PT5M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NikolaTech","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/nikolatech"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Cache Stampede Protection in ASP.NET Core"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/cache-stampede-protection-in-asp-net-core-tilzoqqdh#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is a cache stampede and how do I prevent it in ASP.NET Core?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A cache stampede happens when multiple requests hit an expired cache entry at the same time, causing all of them to query the underlying database or API simultaneously and overload it. 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