> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.explo.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Caching Layer

Explo's caching layer brings customer data into an in-memory cache to further improve the product experience. Depending on which data connector your workspace uses, Explo will either use [Heroku Shield Redis](https://blog.heroku.com/announcing-shield-redis) or [Apache Ignite](https://ignite.apache.org/).

Both of these technologies are aligned to ensure that Explo upholds our SOC 2 Type 2 accreditation and HIPAA compliance. If you are using our [new data connector (FIDO)](/data-sources/new-data-connector-fido), then you are using Apache Ignite.

## Redis FAQs

* Redis is an ephemeral data storage, meaning the data is only held temporarily
* Our Redis is deployed on Heroku Shield, which is a managed Redis service

## Apache Ignite FAQs

* Apache Ignite is an open source project (Github can be found [here](https://github.com/apache/ignite))
* Explo is only using Ignite's default setting, which operates in a pure in-memory mode
* Our Apache Ignite is deployed in our AWS ECS clusters

## General Cache FAQs

* Certified to handle `PHI`, `PII`, and `HIPAA` data
* The data is only held in memory and not written to disk, so the data is never stored
* All communication channels with the cache are fully encrypted
* How long the data is held is memory is configurable in the application

## Compliance

* Customers are able to opt-out of using our cache
  * It is recommended for a better experience, but it is not required
* Explo's Privacy Policy, HIPAA Breach Notification Policy, and Incident Response Plan HIPAA Addendum with Breach Notification Procedures are updated to reflect the use of the cache and the ability to opt-out

## Is this considered storing data?

No. Data is only held in memory and never written to disk, so the data is never stored in Explo's systems.