Tutorial: Using Libmemcached

1. Introduction

Libmemcached is a client library for the Memcached caching system, designed to allow developers to easily interact with Memcached instances. This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up and using Libmemcached, covering everything from installation to advanced usage.

2. Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

• Memcached server
• Libmemcached library
• Basic knowledge of C programming

3. Installing Memcached

To install Memcached on a Linux system, you can use the following command:

After installation, you can start the Memcached server with:

Here, -m specifies the memory limit, -p specifies the port, and -u specifies the user.

4. Installing Libmemcached

For installing Libmemcached, you can use the following command:

5. Basic Usage of Libmemcached

To use Libmemcached, you need to include the header file in your C program:

Below is a simple example of connecting to a Memcached server and performing basic operations:

#include 
#include 

int main() {
    memcached_st *memc;
    memcached_return rc;

    // Create a Memcached instance
    memc = memcached_create(NULL);

    // Add a server
    memcached_server_add(memc, "127.0.0.1", 11211);

    // Set a value
    memcached_set(memc, "key", strlen("key"), "value", strlen("value"), 0, &rc);

    // Get the value
    char *value = memcached_get(memc, "key", strlen("key"), &rc);
    printf("Value: %s\n", value);

    // Cleanup
    free(value);
    memcached_free(memc);
    return 0;
}
                

In this example, we create a Memcached instance, add a server, set a key-value pair, retrieve the value, and then clean up.

6. Error Handling

Libmemcached provides a way to handle errors. The memcached_return type is used to check the status of operations. Always check the return code after performing an operation.

7. Advanced Features

Libmemcached supports various advanced features such as:

• Asynchronous operations
• Binary protocol support
• Custom hashing functions

To take advantage of these features, refer to the official documentation for detailed instructions.

8. Conclusion

This tutorial provided a comprehensive overview of using Libmemcached to interact with a Memcached server. By following the steps outlined, you should now have a functional understanding of basic and advanced operations. For further exploration, consider looking into the official Libmemcached documentation.