Spring Boot Cache Conditional

In this tutorial, you'll learn about Fix Spring Boot Conditional Caching Not Working. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices.

The Problem

@Cacheable condition does not prevent caching. Results are cached even when the condition evaluates to false.

Quick Fix

Use condition attribute correctly

Wrong:

@Cacheable(value = "users", condition = "#id > 0")
// Wrong variable name

Output:

Condition may not evaluate

Right:

@Cacheable(value = "users", condition = "#id > 0")
public User getUser(Long id) { }

Output:

Only caches for positive IDs

Use unless for return values

Wrong:

@Cacheable(value = "users", condition = "#id > 0")
public User getUser(Long id) { return result; }

Output:

Also caches null results

Right:

@Cacheable(value = "users", condition = "#id > 0", unless = "#result == null")
public User getUser(Long id) { }

Output:

Does not cache null results

Use SpEL correctly

Wrong:

@Cacheable(value = "users", condition = "#user.isActive()")
// Method param named differently

Output:

SpEL expression fails

Right:

@Cacheable(value = "users", condition = "#user.active")
public User findUser(User user) { }

Output:

SpEL referencing correct param

Prevention

• Use condition to control caching based on method parameters
• Use unless to control caching based on return value
• Ensure SpEL expressions reference correct parameter names

Common Mistakes with boot cache conditional

1. Mixing let bindings with <- bindings in do notation, producing type errors
2. Overlapping type class instances that cause GHC to reject the program with ambiguous dispatch errors
3. Non-exhaustive pattern matches that compile with warnings then crash at runtime

These mistakes appear frequently in real-world SPRING code. DodaTech's contributors have identified these patterns through analysis of open-source projects and production systems.

Practice Exercise

Write a pure function that safely divides two integers using Maybe, then test it with edge cases like division by zero and negative numbers.

This exercise reinforces the concepts covered in this guide. Try implementing it before checking online solutions.

FAQ

This quick fix is part of the DodaTech Spring & JVM ecosystem series. Built by the developers of Doda Browser, DodaZIP, and Durga Antivirus Pro.