How to make Django use a custom cache backend instead of the default?

Backend
1

I’m trying to set up a custom cache backend in Django but it’s not working as expected. Here’s what I did:

In my settings.py, I added:

CACHES = {
    'default': {
        'BACKEND': 'custom_cache.CustomBackend',
        'LOCATION': 'server:1234',
        'OPTIONS': {
            'user': 'myuser',
            'pass': 'mypass'
        }
    }
}

But when I check the cache in my code, it’s still using the default LocMemCache:

from django.core.cache import caches
print(caches['default'])  # Shows LocMemCache, not CustomBackend

I’ve tried different backends and made sure the custom backend works when used directly. I’m not sure if I’m missing a step or if there’s a silent error somewhere.

How can I make Django use my custom cache backend? Any ideas what might be going wrong?

2

hmm, interesting problem! have u tried restarting the django server after changing settings? sometimes that helps. also, maybe check if ur custom backend is importable? like, can u import it in a python shell? just curious, what made u wanna use a custom backend? sounds cool!

3

check ur INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py. make sure ‘custom_cache’ is there. also, try clearing ur cache after changes. sometimes django doesn’t pickup new settings right away. if that don’t work, double check ur custom backend code for any sneaky errors.

4

I encountered a similar issue when implementing a custom cache backend. One crucial step that’s often overlooked is ensuring that your custom backend class is properly defined and implements all required methods from Django’s BaseCache. Double-check that your CustomBackend class has methods like get(), set(), delete(), and clear(). Additionally, verify that the import path in your CACHES setting is correct. If you’re still facing issues, try explicitly calling cache.close() and cache.clear() before attempting to use the new backend. This can help flush any lingering connections or cached data from previous configurations.