Open Caching is a set of architectural specifications that defines how different cache systems can communicate, exchange content, and apply policies in an interoperable way — without dependency on proprietary implementations.
TL;DR — Open Caching was originally developed by the Streaming Video Technology Alliance (SVTA) to optimize video delivery between networks. The underlying principle — interoperability without proprietary lock-in — applies to any operation that depends on delivery performance at global scale. It enables three things: integrating different cache layers without rewriting business logic, standardized metrics and logs across multi-cloud environments, and centralized cache policy control regardless of which provider or node serves the request. JS Runtime and WebAssembly are the open execution standards that make this portability practical.
What is Open Caching?
Open Caching is a set of architectural specifications that defines how different cache systems can communicate, exchange content, and apply policies in an interoperable way.
The standard was originally developed by the Streaming Video Technology Alliance (SVTA) to optimize video content delivery between networks. But the underlying architectural principle — interoperability between cache systems without dependency on proprietary implementation — is directly applicable to any operation that depends on delivery performance at global scale.
For modern web applications, this translates to three capabilities:
Interoperability. Ability to integrate different cache layers — including distributed infrastructure and local ISP caches — without rewriting business logic.
Data transparency. Standardized metrics and logs that work consistently across multi-cloud and multi-provider environments, without depending on proprietary interfaces for observability.
Centralized policy control. The operation owner controls cache policies — what to cache, for how long, with what invalidation criteria — regardless of which node or provider is serving the request.
Open architecture vs. proprietary architecture
The difference between the two approaches isn’t just philosophical. It has direct impact on cost, resilience, and architectural evolution speed.
| Dimension | Open Architecture | Closed Proprietary Architecture |
|---|---|---|
| Logic portability | Logic can be ported between providers | Logic tied to vendor ecosystem |
| Execution standards | JS Runtime, WebAssembly — universal standards | Proprietary languages and APIs |
| Data transparency | Standardized metrics and logs | Observability limited to what vendor exposes |
| Cache policy control | Centralized — independent of serving node | Dependent on vendor interface |
| Migration cost | Low — portable logic | High — significant rewrite |
| Operational risk | Distributed across multiple providers | Concentrated in single vendor |
| Architectural evolution | Team maintains control of technical direction | Team follows vendor roadmap |
| Multi-CDN integration | Native — shared standards | Complex — incompatible APIs |
Practical rule: if your cache and security logic can’t be executed outside the current vendor’s ecosystem, you have vendor lock-in — regardless of the contract.
Why Open Caching matters
Every infrastructure decision carries an implicit cost that doesn’t appear in the commercial proposal: the cost of leaving.
In enterprise-scale operations, dependency on a single proprietary architecture manifests as:
- Cache logic that can’t be ported
- Resilience policies that only work within a closed ecosystem
- Observability limited to what the vendor decides to expose
- Migration costs that make any strategic change unviable in practice
This is the core problem that Open Caching solves.
Open standards in practice: JS Runtime and WebAssembly
Adopting open execution standards is what makes logic portability possible in practice.
JavaScript V8 Runtime
Using JavaScript with the V8 runtime — the same engine that powers Node.js and modern browsers — means cache and security logic can be written by any engineer who already knows the ecosystem.
There’s no need to learn proprietary languages. Investment in code, tests, and documentation is reusable — inside and outside the current provider’s ecosystem.
WebAssembly (Wasm)
WebAssembly allows logic written in languages like Rust, C++, or Go to be compiled to a portable, high-performance format that can run in any compatible environment.
For teams with complex cache, personalization, or business logic, this means:
- Business logic not tied to specific infrastructure
- Near-native performance in distributed execution
- Real portability between environments and providers
When infrastructure logic is written in universal standards, the team maintains control of technical direction. The vendor can change — the logic doesn’t need to change with it.
Multi-CDN as a resilience strategy
Large operations don’t depend on a single infrastructure provider. Multi-CDN strategy — simultaneous or alternating use of multiple providers — is an established practice for:
- Reducing dependency on a single point of failure
- Optimizing geographic coverage per provider
- Negotiating contracts with more flexibility
- Ensuring automatic failover between providers
The traditional problem with Multi-CDN strategy is inconsistency: each provider has its own APIs, metrics, and cache behaviors. Maintaining consistent policies between them requires significant engineering.
Open Caching solves exactly this inconsistency. With open specifications shared between providers, it’s possible to achieve:
Rule consistency between providers. The same Selective Caching or Micro Caching policy is applied identically across all nodes, regardless of provider.
IP transit cost reduction. Open standards facilitate leveraging local ISP caches for heavy traffic offload, reducing transit costs in global operations.
Failover without rewrite. If a provider fails or degrades, traffic can be redirected to another without rewriting cache logic — because it’s portable by definition.
Policy consistency in multi-provider operations
In operations using multiple infrastructure providers — whether for resilience strategy, geographic coverage, or regulatory requirements — Open Caching ensures cache policies are applied consistently, regardless of which provider is serving the request.
This means rules for the following work the same way across all nodes, without divergent behavior between providers:
- Selective Caching by user segment
- Micro Caching with short TTL for dynamic data
- Tiered Caching for origin protection
- Key-based invalidation after content changes
Standardized observability
With open standards, cache hit ratio metrics, latency per endpoint, and error rates are exposed consistently — and can be integrated into any observability tool without depending on proprietary interfaces.
Control without proprietary interface dependency
The logic defining cache behavior — what’s stored, for how long, with what invalidation criteria — belongs to the operation, not the provider. This ensures strategic changes can be implemented without depending on a vendor update cycle.
Real case: Dafiti
Dafiti, one of the largest fashion and lifestyle e-commerce platforms in the world, operates in multiple countries with high daily traffic volumes — especially during campaigns and seasonal peaks.
The challenges included:
- Improving performance for millions of simultaneous users across multiple countries
- Ensuring availability, reliability, and speed at regional scale
- Automatically scaling during peaks without depending on manual provisioning
- Reducing dependency on centralized architecture and cloud costs
With Azion’s global distributed architecture, Dafiti achieved the following results:
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| E-commerce acceleration | 86% |
| Data transfer cost reduction | 45% |
| Automatic scalability during peaks | Implemented |
| Multi-country operation | Sustained |
For a multi-country operation like Dafiti, cache policy consistency between regions isn’t a technical detail — it’s a business requirement.
Frequently asked questions
What is Open Caching? Open Caching is a set of architectural specifications that defines how different cache systems can communicate and exchange content interoperably, without depending on proprietary implementations. It was originally developed by the Streaming Video Technology Alliance (SVTA) for video delivery and now applies broadly to any global-scale delivery operation.
Is Open Caching a product or a standard? It’s a standard — a set of open specifications. Infrastructure providers implement the standard in their platforms, but the specification itself doesn’t belong to any specific vendor.
How does Open Caching protect against vendor lock-in? By ensuring cache and security logic is written in universal, portable standards (like JS Runtime and WebAssembly), Open Caching allows an operation to change providers without rewriting its architecture. The logic belongs to the company, not the vendor.
What’s the difference between Open Caching and traditional caching? Traditional caching stores and delivers content. Open Caching defines how different cache systems communicate, apply policies, and expose metrics consistently and interoperably — especially in multi-provider operations.
How do you implement Open Caching in a global operation? Implementation starts by choosing infrastructure that supports open execution standards — JS Runtime, WebAssembly — and allows programmable cache policy configuration without proprietary interface dependency. The next step is ensuring Tiered Caching, Selective Caching, and key-based invalidation policies are portable between providers.
Do WebAssembly and JS Runtime belong to Open Caching? They are complementary standards, not part of the Open Caching specification itself. Open Caching defines interoperability between cache systems. WebAssembly and JS Runtime define how execution logic is written and ported. Together, they ensure both cache behavior and business logic are portable and vendor-independent.
What is vendor lock-in in the context of caching? Vendor lock-in occurs when cache and security logic can only run inside a specific provider’s ecosystem. The practical test: if your logic can’t be executed outside the current vendor’s platform, you have vendor lock-in — regardless of what the contract says.
Conclusion
The choice between open and proprietary architecture isn’t an isolated technical decision. It’s a strategic decision about who controls the operation’s architectural direction.
In global-scale operations, depending on closed proprietary infrastructure means any strategic evolution goes through the vendor’s roadmap and commercial terms.
Open Caching, open execution standards, and programmable infrastructure are the answer for operations that need performance today and architectural freedom tomorrow.
Next steps: Check out Azion’s Cache solution and see how it implements Open Caching principles to ensure performance, resilience, and architectural freedom for global operations. See Azion’s Cache documentation or talk to an Azion specialist.