axios-cache-adapter vs axios-cache-interceptor: Modern Caching for Axios

Both axios-cache-adapter and axios-cache-interceptor aim to solve the same core problem: caching HTTP responses in Axios-based applications to reduce redundant network requests, improve perceived performance, and lower backend load. However, they take fundamentally different approaches — one is a legacy solution built on Axios adapters, while the other is a modern, actively maintained library leveraging Axios interceptors. Let’s break down what this means in practice.

⚠️ Maintenance Status: Deprecated vs Active

axios-cache-adapter is officially deprecated. Its npm page and GitHub repository clearly state: "This project is deprecated. Please use axios-cache-interceptor instead." No new features are being added, and only critical fixes might be considered. Using it in new projects introduces long-term risk.

axios-cache-interceptor is the recommended successor, actively developed and aligned with current Axios versions. It’s designed to work seamlessly with Axios v0.27 and above, including support for modern features like request aborting and proper TypeScript definitions.

💡 Bottom line: For any new project, start with axios-cache-interceptor. Only consider axios-cache-adapter if you’re stuck maintaining old code that hasn’t been migrated yet.

🔌 Integration Architecture: Adapter vs Interceptor

Axios supports two extension points: adapters (which handle the actual HTTP transport) and interceptors (which hook into request/response flows). The two packages use these differently.

axios-cache-adapter replaces Axios’s default adapter entirely:

// axios-cache-adapter: replaces the adapter
import axios from 'axios';
import { setupCache } from 'axios-cache-adapter';

const cache = setupCache({ maxAge: 15 * 60 * 1000 }); // 15 minutes

const api = axios.create({
  adapter: cache.adapter
});

const response = await api.get('/users');

This approach works but tightly couples caching logic to the transport layer, making it harder to compose with other adapters (e.g., for mocking or custom backends).

axios-cache-interceptor uses standard Axios interceptors, which plug into the existing request/response pipeline without replacing core behavior:

// axios-cache-interceptor: uses interceptors
import axios from 'axios';
import { setupCache } from 'axios-cache-interceptor';

const api = setupCache(axios.create());

const response = await api.get('/users', {
  cache: { ttl: 15 * 60 * 1000 } // 15 minutes
});

This is more flexible — you can still use custom adapters, and caching becomes just one layer in your Axios configuration stack.

🧠 Cache Control: Configuration vs HTTP Semantics

How you tell each library what to cache and for how long also differs.

axios-cache-adapter relies on its own configuration object passed at instance creation or per-request:

// axios-cache-adapter: custom cache config
const response = await api.get('/posts', {
  cache: {
    maxAge: 10000,        // milliseconds
    exclude: { query: false }
  }
});

It doesn’t natively respect standard HTTP caching headers like Cache-Control or ETag unless you implement custom logic.

axios-cache-interceptor leans heavily into standard HTTP caching semantics. By default, it respects Cache-Control, Expires, and ETag headers from responses. You can also override with explicit TTL:

// axios-cache-interceptor: HTTP-aware + overrides
const response = await api.get('/posts', {
  cache: {
    ttl: 10000,           // fallback if no HTTP headers
    interpretHeader: true // default: uses Cache-Control
  }
});

This means your frontend cache can automatically align with your backend’s caching policy — a big win for consistency.

🔄 Cache Invalidation and Updates

Both libraries support manual cache clearing, but their APIs differ.

axios-cache-adapter exposes a global cache object with methods like del():

// axios-cache-adapter: manual invalidation
await api.get('/user/123');
// Later...
cache.del('/user/123'); // removes cached entry

axios-cache-interceptor provides more granular control via the axios instance itself:

// axios-cache-interceptor: instance-based invalidation
await api.get('/user/123');
// Later...
api.storage.remove('/user/123'); // or use api.cache.delete()

Additionally, axios-cache-interceptor supports automatic cache updates using stale-while-revalidate strategies and conditional requests (If-None-Match) when ETags are present — reducing stale data without blocking UI updates.

🧪 Testing and Debugging

axios-cache-adapter offers basic logging via the debug option, but debugging cache hits/misses often requires inspecting internal structures.

axios-cache-interceptor includes built-in debug tools:

const api = setupCache(axios.create(), {
  debug: true // logs cache decisions to console
});

It also exposes clear metadata on responses:

const res = await api.get('/data');
console.log(res.cached); // true | false | 'stale'

This makes it far easier to verify caching behavior during development.

📦 Real-World Usage Scenarios

Scenario: Building a Dashboard with Frequent Data Polling

You need to fetch user stats every 30 seconds but avoid hammering the server if data hasn’t changed.

• ✅ Best choice: axios-cache-interceptor
• Why? It supports stale-while-revalidate and ETag-based conditional requests out of the box:

setInterval(async () => {
  const res = await api.get('/stats', {
    cache: { ttl: 30_000, staleWhileRevalidate: true }
  });
  updateUI(res.data);
}, 30_000);

Scenario: Migrating a Legacy Admin Panel

Your old app uses axios-cache-adapter, and you can’t rewrite everything at once.

• ✅ Temporary choice: Keep axios-cache-adapter during incremental migration
• But plan to switch: wrap Axios instances gradually and replace adapter usage with interceptor-based caching.

🆚 Summary: Key Differences

💡 Final Recommendation

If you’re starting a new frontend project that uses Axios and needs caching:

→ Use axios-cache-interceptor. It’s the official, modern, and sustainable choice.

If you’re working on an existing codebase using axios-cache-adapter:

→ Plan a migration to axios-cache-interceptor. The effort pays off in maintainability, correctness, and alignment with web standards.

Caching is hard to get right — using a well-maintained, HTTP-compliant library reduces bugs and keeps your app fast without reinventing the wheel.