Memcached

** Memcached is a high-performance, distributed memory object caching system intended to speed up dynamic web applications by alleviating database load. It was developed by Brad Fitzpatrick in 2003 for LiveJournal, one of the earliest large-scale blogging platforms. **

** Memcached functions as a key-value store, where data is stored in the form of key-value pairs in the memory (RAM). This allows for quick retrieval of information without the need to query the underlying database repeatedly. The protocol operates over a simple text-based interface, making it easy for developers to integrate and use. Memcached is open-source and has a robust community of contributors maintaining and improving it. Its architecture is designed to support horizontal scaling, which means you can add more servers to handle increased load. Memcached servers pool their memory for storage, and any server in the pool can be accessed to retrieve cached data. Over the years, it has become a fundamental piece of web infrastructure, used by companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit to handle millions of requests per second.