> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/dotandev/hintents/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# erst cache

> Manage transaction and simulation cache

Manage the local cache that stores transaction data and simulation results.

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
erst cache <subcommand> [flags]
```

## Description

Caching improves performance and enables offline analysis by storing:

* Transaction envelopes and metadata
* Simulation results and traces
* Ledger entries and state
* RPC responses

<Info>
  Cache location: `~/.erst/cache` (configurable via `ERST_CACHE_DIR` environment variable)
</Info>

## Subcommands

* [status](#status) - View cache statistics
* [clean](#clean) - Remove old files using LRU strategy
* [clear](#clear) - Delete all cached data

## status

Display the current cache size, number of cached files, and disk usage statistics.

### Usage

```bash theme={null}
erst cache status
```

### Output

Shows:

* Cache directory path
* Total cache size (human-readable)
* Number of cached files
* Maximum configured size
* Warning if cache exceeds limit

### Example output

```
Cache directory: /home/user/.erst/cache
Cache size: 145.32 MB
Files cached: 87
Maximum size: 500.00 MB
```

## clean

Remove old cached files using LRU (Least Recently Used) strategy.

### Usage

```bash theme={null}
erst cache clean [flags]
```

### Description

This command:

1. Identifies the oldest cached files based on access time
2. Prompts for confirmation before deletion (unless `--force`)
3. Deletes files until cache size is reduced to 50% of maximum
4. Reports number of files deleted and space freed

### Flags

<ParamField path="--force" type="boolean" default="false">
  Skip confirmation prompt

  Alias: `-f`
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--older-than" type="int">
  Remove entries older than N days

  Only applies to RPC cache (SQLite database).
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--network" type="string">
  Remove entries for a specific network

  Options: `testnet`, `mainnet`, `futurenet`

  Only applies to RPC cache.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--all" type="boolean" default="false">
  Remove all RPC cache entries

  Only applies to RPC cache (SQLite database).
</ParamField>

### Examples

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Interactive clean theme={null}
  erst cache clean
  ```

  ```bash Force clean without prompt theme={null}
  erst cache clean --force
  ```

  ```bash Clean old RPC entries theme={null}
  erst cache clean --older-than 7
  ```

  ```bash Clean network-specific entries theme={null}
  erst cache clean --network testnet
  ```

  ```bash Clean testnet entries older than 30 days theme={null}
  erst cache clean --older-than 30 --network testnet
  ```

  ```bash Clear all RPC cache theme={null}
  erst cache clean --all
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## clear

Delete all cached files from the cache directory.

### Usage

```bash theme={null}
erst cache clear [flags]
```

<Warning>
  This action cannot be undone. All cached transaction data and simulation results will be permanently deleted.
</Warning>

### Flags

<ParamField path="--force" type="boolean" default="false">
  Skip confirmation prompt

  Alias: `-f`
</ParamField>

### Examples

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Interactive clear theme={null}
  erst cache clear
  ```

  ```bash Force clear without prompt theme={null}
  erst cache clear --force
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Confirmation prompt

Without `--force`, prompts:

```
This will delete ALL cached files in /home/user/.erst/cache
Are you sure? (yes/no): 
```

Type `yes` or `y` to confirm.

## Cache types

Erst maintains two separate caches:

### File cache

Stores transaction and simulation data as files:

* Location: `~/.erst/cache/`
* Format: JSON and XDR files
* Managed by: `status`, `clean`, `clear`

### RPC cache

Stores RPC responses in SQLite database:

* Location: `~/.erst/cache.db`
* Format: SQLite database
* Managed by: `clean --older-than`, `clean --network`, `clean --all`

## Performance impact

Caching provides significant performance benefits:

* **Network requests**: Avoid repeated RPC calls
* **Simulation**: Reuse ledger state for similar transactions
* **Offline mode**: Debug without network connectivity
* **Cost reduction**: Minimize API usage for rate-limited endpoints

## Related commands

* [session](/commands/session) - Manage debugging sessions (separate from cache)
* [debug](/commands/debug) - Debugging uses cached data when available