WCF Restful Service static variable

Question

I currently have 2 static dictionaries in a wcf restful service. These both hold look up data that's not worth putting in a database. Will these stay in memory until the application restarts or should I put them in HttpContext.Current.Application?

Answer 1

The static data will remain until the process recycles or stops, the same as HttpContext.Current.Application.

If you are looking for a more sophisticated caching option, check out the System.Runtime.Caching namespace introduced in 4.0. It is easy to use, works in any .NET application, and offers features like setting expiration times and creating callback functions to execute on expire.