9.3. Store and retrieve data

Even though the JCache API does not extend either java.util.Map or java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentMap it provides a key/value API to store and retrieve data:
import javax.cache.*;
import javax.cache.configuration.*;

CacheManager cacheManager = Caching.getCachingProvider().getCacheManager();
Cache<String, String> cache = cacheManager.createCache("namedCache",
      new MutableConfiguration<String, String>());
cache.put("hello", "world"); // Notice that javax.cache.Cache.put(K) returns void!
String value = cache.get("hello"); // Returns "world"
Contrary to standard java.util.Map, javax.cache.Cache comes with two basic put methods called put and getAndPut. The former returns void whereas the latter returns the previous value associated with the key. The equivalent of java.util.Map.put(K) in JCache is javax.cache.Cache.getAndPut(K).

Note

Even though JCache API only covers standalone caching, it can be plugged with a persistence store, and has been designed with clustering or distribution in mind. The reason why javax.cache.Cache offers two put methods is because standard java.util.Map put call forces implementors to calculate the previous value. When a persistent store is in use, or the cache is distributed, returning the previous value could be an expensive operation, and often users call standard java.util.Map.put(K) without using the return value. Hence, JCache users need to think about whether the return value is relevant to them, in which case they need to call javax.cache.Cache.getAndPut(K) , otherwise they can call java.util.Map.put(K) which avoids returning the potentially expensive operation of returning the previous value.