CACHEDEFAULTTIMEOUT

CACHEDEFAULTTIMEOUT refers to a default expiration time used by caching systems to determine how long stored data should remain valid when no explicit timeout is provided for a cache entry. It is typically expressed in seconds and acts as a fallback TTL (time-to-live) applied to cached items. If a specific timeout is supplied when storing a value, that per-item timeout overrides the default; if no timeout is given and the backend supports a global default, CACHEDEFAULTTIMEOUT determines how long the item persists.

Naming and exact behavior can vary by framework or backend. In many caching implementations, the concept is exposed as a global default timeout, sometimes named CACHE_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT or a similar constant. The default value is often chosen to balance performance and freshness; for example, some configurations use a default of 300 seconds (five minutes). Administrators can typically override the default on a per-cache basis or by setting framework-wide defaults.

Backends may differ in how they handle expiration. Some allow disabling expiration by setting the timeout to None, which keeps items until memory pressure or eviction policies remove them. Others strictly enforce a finite TTL. The ability to customize the default timeout should be weighed against data volatility, cache size, and backend capabilities.

Operational considerations include cache hit rates and memory usage. A shorter default timeout reduces the risk of serving stale data but may increase recomputation and backend load. A longer default improves hit rates at the cost of higher memory consumption and potential staleness. Clear guidelines for TTLs help maintain cache effectiveness across applications.