PINCache by pinterest
Fast, non-deadlocking parallel object cache for iOS, tvOS and OS X
About PINCache
From the project's README at github.com/pinterest/PINCache. Lightly cleaned for readability; for the full source see the upstream repo.
[](http://cocoadocs.org/docsets/PINCache/) [](https://github.com/Carthage/Carthage) [](https://github.com/pinterest/PINCache/actions?query=workflow%3ACI+branch%3Amaster) Fast, non-deadlocking parallel object cache for iOS and OS X.
PINCache is a fork of TMCache re-architected to fix issues with deadlocking caused by heavy use. It is a key/value store designed for persisting temporary objects that are expensive to reproduce, such as downloaded data or the results of slow processing. It is comprised of two self-similar stores, one in memory (PINMemoryCache) and one on disk (PINDiskCache), all backed by GCD and safe to access from multiple threads simultaneously. On iOS, will clear itself when the app receives a memory warning or goes into the background. Objects stored in remain until you trim the cache yourself, either manually or by setting a byte or age limit.
and accept any object conforming to NSCoding. Put things in like this:
Health score breakdown
6-dimension composite. See methodology for formula and weights.
Adoption signals
Real-world usage data, pulled from each registry. The bigger the numbers, the more battle-tested the project.
| Signal | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 2.7k | github.com/pinterest/PINCache |
| GitHub forks | 362 | github.com/pinterest/PINCache |
Release & maintenance
Is this project actively maintained, or about to die? Check the recency of last commit and last release.
| Project age | 11.2 years | since Feb 2015 |
| Last commit | 5 days ago | May 2, 2026 |
| Releases shipped | 22 | last: 2.0 years ago |
| Security policy | SECURITY.md | declared by maintainers |
Self-hosting cost across providers
Detected requirements: 4GB RAM, 40GB disk minimum. Cheapest plan per provider that meets the requirement.
| Provider | Plan | Specs | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hetzner | CAX11 | 2c · 4GB · 40GB | $4.13 USD | Deploy → |
| vultr | VC2 | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5 USD | Deploy → |
| linode | Nanode 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5.12 USD | Deploy → |
| digitalocean | Basic Regular 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $6 USD | Deploy → |
What people say on Hacker News
- Yarbo's Pop-Up Signals the Future of Smart Snow Tech
- PageFlow – The ultra-minimalist, native macOS PDF reader
- Ask HN: For Mac users – Do you have а shoulder pinched nervе?
- Those who fly too close to the SUN (Microsystems) eventually get burned
- Pining for Pinochet: How crime fanned nostalgia for Chile's dictator
Ready to self-host PINCache?
Spin up a hetzner CAX11 (4GB RAM, 40GB disk) for $4.13/mo and follow the project's official install docs.
Data last refreshed May 7, 2026.
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