Tip
This page only contains information on the st.cache_data
API. For a deeper dive into caching and how to use it, check out Caching.
Decorator to cache functions that return data (e.g. dataframe transforms, database queries, ML inference).
Cached objects are stored in "pickled" form, which means that the return value of a cached function must be pickleable. Each caller of the cached function gets its own copy of the cached data.
You can clear a function's cache with func.clear() or clear the entire cache with st.cache_data.clear().
To cache global resources, use st.cache_resource instead. Learn more about caching at https://docs.streamlit.io/library/advanced-features/caching.
Function signature[source] | |
---|---|
st.cache_data(func=None, *, ttl, max_entries, show_spinner, persist, experimental_allow_widgets, hash_funcs=None) | |
Parameters | |
func (callable) | The function to cache. Streamlit hashes the function's source code. |
ttl (float, timedelta, str, or None) | The maximum time to keep an entry in the cache. Can be one of:
Note that ttl will be ignored if persist="disk" or persist=True. |
max_entries (int or None) | The maximum number of entries to keep in the cache, or None for an unbounded cache. When a new entry is added to a full cache, the oldest cached entry will be removed. Defaults to None. |
show_spinner (boolean or string) | Enable the spinner. Default is True to show a spinner when there is a "cache miss" and the cached data is being created. If string, value of show_spinner param will be used for spinner text. |
persist ("disk", boolean, or None) | Optional location to persist cached data to. Passing "disk" (or True) will persist the cached data to the local disk. None (or False) will disable persistence. The default is None. |
experimental_allow_widgets (boolean) | Allow widgets to be used in the cached function. Defaults to False. Support for widgets in cached functions is currently experimental. Setting this parameter to True may lead to excessive memory use since the widget value is treated as an additional input parameter to the cache. We may remove support for this option at any time without notice. |
hash_funcs (dict or None) | Mapping of types or fully qualified names to hash functions. This is used to override the behavior of the hasher inside Streamlit's caching mechanism: when the hasher encounters an object, it will first check to see if its type matches a key in this dict and, if so, will use the provided function to generate a hash for it. See below for an example of how this can be used. |
Example
import streamlit as st @st.cache_data def fetch_and_clean_data(url): # Fetch data from URL here, and then clean it up. return data d1 = fetch_and_clean_data(DATA_URL_1) # Actually executes the function, since this is the first time it was # encountered. d2 = fetch_and_clean_data(DATA_URL_1) # Does not execute the function. Instead, returns its previously computed # value. This means that now the data in d1 is the same as in d2. d3 = fetch_and_clean_data(DATA_URL_2) # This is a different URL, so the function executes.To set the persist parameter, use this command as follows:
import streamlit as st @st.cache_data(persist="disk") def fetch_and_clean_data(url): # Fetch data from URL here, and then clean it up. return dataBy default, all parameters to a cached function must be hashable. Any parameter whose name begins with _ will not be hashed. You can use this as an "escape hatch" for parameters that are not hashable:
import streamlit as st @st.cache_data def fetch_and_clean_data(_db_connection, num_rows): # Fetch data from _db_connection here, and then clean it up. return data connection = make_database_connection() d1 = fetch_and_clean_data(connection, num_rows=10) # Actually executes the function, since this is the first time it was # encountered. another_connection = make_database_connection() d2 = fetch_and_clean_data(another_connection, num_rows=10) # Does not execute the function. Instead, returns its previously computed # value - even though the _database_connection parameter was different # in both calls.A cached function's cache can be procedurally cleared:
import streamlit as st @st.cache_data def fetch_and_clean_data(_db_connection, num_rows): # Fetch data from _db_connection here, and then clean it up. return data fetch_and_clean_data.clear() # Clear all cached entries for this function.To override the default hashing behavior, pass a custom hash function. You can do that by mapping a type (e.g. datetime.datetime) to a hash function (lambda dt: dt.isoformat()) like this:
import streamlit as st import datetime @st.cache_data(hash_funcs={datetime.datetime: lambda dt: dt.isoformat()}) def convert_to_utc(dt: datetime.datetime): return dt.astimezone(datetime.timezone.utc)Alternatively, you can map the type's fully-qualified name (e.g. "datetime.datetime") to the hash function instead:
import streamlit as st import datetime @st.cache_data(hash_funcs={"datetime.datetime": lambda dt: dt.isoformat()}) def convert_to_utc(dt: datetime.datetime): return dt.astimezone(datetime.timezone.utc)
Using Streamlit commands in cached functions
Static elements
Since version 1.16.0, cached functions can contain Streamlit commands! For example, you can do this:
@st.cache_data
def get_api_data():
data = api.get(...)
st.success("Fetched data from API!") # 👈 Show a success message
return data
As we know, Streamlit only runs this function if it hasn’t been cached before. On this first run, the st.success
message will appear in the app. But what happens on subsequent runs? It still shows up! Streamlit realizes that there is an st.
command inside the cached function, saves it during the first run, and replays it on subsequent runs. Replaying static elements works for both caching decorators.
You can also use this functionality to cache entire parts of your UI:
@st.cache_data
def show_data():
st.header("Data analysis")
data = api.get(...)
st.success("Fetched data from API!")
st.write("Here is a plot of the data:")
st.line_chart(data)
st.write("And here is the raw data:")
st.dataframe(data)
Input widgets
You can also use interactive input widgets like st.slider
or st.text_input
in cached functions. Widget replay is an experimental feature at the moment. To enable it, you need to set the experimental_allow_widgets
parameter:
@st.cache_data(experimental_allow_widgets=True) # 👈 Set the parameter
def get_data():
num_rows = st.slider("Number of rows to get") # 👈 Add a slider
data = api.get(..., num_rows)
return data
Streamlit treats the slider like an additional input parameter to the cached function. If you change the slider position, Streamlit will see if it has already cached the function for this slider value. If yes, it will return the cached value. If not, it will rerun the function using the new slider value.
Using widgets in cached functions is extremely powerful because it lets you cache entire parts of your app. But it can be dangerous! Since Streamlit treats the widget value as an additional input parameter, it can easily lead to excessive memory usage. Imagine your cached function has five sliders and returns a 100 MB DataFrame. Then we’ll add 100 MB to the cache for every permutation of these five slider values – even if the sliders do not influence the returned data! These additions can make your cache explode very quickly. Please be aware of this limitation if you use widgets in cached functions. We recommend using this feature only for isolated parts of your UI where the widgets directly influence the cached return value.
Warning
Support for widgets in cached functions is currently experimental. We may change or remove it anytime without warning. Please use it with care!
Note
Two widgets are currently not supported in cached functions: st.file_uploader
and st.camera_input
. We may support them in the future. Feel free to open a GitHub issue if you need them!
Still have questions?
Our forums are full of helpful information and Streamlit experts.