When should I use LRU vs LFU caching strategies?

Can you explain the difference between LRU and LFU caching strategies?

Sure! LRU stands for Least Recently Used, while LFU stands for Least Frequently Used. LRU evicts the least recently accessed items, whereas LFU removes the least frequently accessed items.

In what scenarios would I prefer LRU over LFU?

You might prefer LRU when you have a workload with temporal locality, meaning that recently accessed items are likely to be accessed again soon.

And when should I use LFU instead?

LFU is better when you have a stable workload where certain items are accessed consistently over time, regardless of their recency.

Are there any downsides to using either strategy?

Yes, LRU can suffer from thrashing if the working set is larger than the cache, while LFU can be more complex to implement and may require more memory.