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Performance optimizations for Neo4j server info caching #59

@rysweet

Description

@rysweet

Description

Following the code review for PR #57, implement performance optimizations for Neo4j server information retrieval, particularly caching mechanisms to avoid repeated server queries.

Current Behavior

The get_server_info() method in Neo4jManager currently executes a CALL dbms.components() query every time it's called, which can impact performance when called frequently during health checks or diagnostics.

Proposed Improvements

1. Server Info Caching

  • Cache server information after first successful retrieval
  • Use configurable TTL (time-to-live) for cache entries
  • Implement cache invalidation strategies

2. Intelligent Cache Management

class Neo4jManager:
    def __init__(self, ...):
        self._server_info_cache = None
        self._server_info_cache_time = None
        self._server_info_cache_ttl = 300  # 5 minutes default
    
    def get_server_info(self, use_cache: bool = True, cache_ttl: int = None):
        # Check cache validity and return cached info if available
        # Otherwise fetch fresh info and update cache

3. Configuration Options

  • Configurable cache TTL through constructor or environment variables
  • Option to disable caching entirely for real-time scenarios
  • Cache warming during connection establishment

4. Memory Management

  • Implement cache size limits
  • LRU eviction for multiple server connections
  • Memory-efficient storage of server info

Technical Implementation

Cache Strategy

  • TTL-based expiration: Default 5-minute TTL, configurable
  • Lazy loading: Cache populated on first access
  • Thread-safe: Use appropriate locking for concurrent access
  • Memory efficient: Store only essential server information

Configuration

# Constructor options
Neo4jManager(
    server_info_cache_ttl=300,  # seconds
    enable_server_info_cache=True
)

# Environment variables
NEO4J_SERVER_INFO_CACHE_TTL=300
NEO4J_ENABLE_SERVER_INFO_CACHE=true

Health Check Integration

  • Health checks should optionally use cached server info
  • Provide option for health checks to force fresh server info retrieval
  • Balance between performance and accuracy

Performance Benefits

  • Reduced query load on Neo4j server
  • Faster health check execution
  • Lower network overhead for repeated diagnostics
  • Improved application responsiveness

Backward Compatibility

  • All changes should be backward compatible
  • Default behavior maintains current functionality
  • New caching features are optional and configurable

Acceptance Criteria

  • Server info caching with configurable TTL
  • Thread-safe cache implementation
  • Memory management with size limits
  • Configuration through constructor and environment variables
  • Integration with health check system
  • Performance benchmarks showing improvement
  • Comprehensive unit tests for cache behavior
  • Documentation of caching behavior and configuration

Future Considerations

  • Extend caching to other expensive queries
  • Implement distributed caching for multi-instance deployments
  • Add cache metrics and monitoring
  • Consider cache warming strategies

This optimization will improve overall application performance while maintaining the reliability of server diagnostics.

Generated following code review feedback for PR #57.

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