Advanced Topics

This section covers advanced concepts and techniques for working with Sepia in production environments. These topics are essential for building robust, scalable applications with Sepia.

Topics Covered

When to Use Advanced Features

Production Applications

For production deployments, consider these advanced topics:

  1. Memory Management - Prevent memory leaks with proper garbage collection
  2. Performance Optimization - Handle large datasets efficiently
  3. Error Recovery - Implement robust error handling and recovery
  4. Monitoring - Set up monitoring and alerting for storage issues

Large-Scale Applications

When building applications with many objects or high throughput:

  1. Batch Operations - Process multiple objects efficiently
  2. Caching Strategies - Use WeakCache and MemoryLimiter effectively
  3. Storage Optimization - Choose appropriate storage backends and configurations
  4. Concurrency Control - Handle concurrent access with generation tracking

Multi-Process Applications

For applications with multiple processes accessing the same storage:

  1. File Watching - Detect and respond to external changes
  2. Event Logging - Maintain audit trails across processes
  3. Conflict Resolution - Handle concurrent modifications gracefully
  4. Backup Strategies - Regular automated backups for data safety

Performance Considerations

Storage Backend Selection

Choose the right backend for your use case:

  • FileStorage - Best for persistence and multi-process access
  • InMemoryStorage - Best for testing and temporary data
  • Custom Backends - Implement for specific requirements (databases, cloud storage)

Memory Usage

Sepia provides several tools for managing memory:

  • WeakCache - Automatically garbage-collected cache
  • MemoryLimiter - Memory pressure monitoring
  • Generation Tracking - Avoid storing duplicate data

File System Performance

Optimize file system operations:

  • Use canonical storage paths for consistent performance
  • Batch operations when possible to reduce I/O overhead
  • File watching with appropriate polling intervals
  • Symlinks to avoid data duplication

Data Integrity and Safety

Backup Strategies

Implement comprehensive backup strategies:

  1. Regular Backups - Scheduled automatic backups
  2. Versioned Backups - Keep multiple backup versions
  3. Verification - Regular backup integrity checks
  4. Recovery Testing - Test restore procedures regularly

Error Handling

Build robust error handling:

  1. Storage Failures - Handle disk space issues, permission problems
  2. Network Issues - Handle distributed storage failures
  3. Data Corruption - Detect and recover from corrupted data
  4. Concurrent Access - Handle race conditions and conflicts

Migration Strategies

Plan for data migrations:

  1. Format Changes - Handle storage format evolution
  2. Schema Changes - Migrate object structures
  3. Platform Changes - Move between storage systems
  4. Rollback Plans - Ability to reverse migrations

Monitoring and Debugging

Logging

Use Sepia's built-in logging:

  • Event Logger for user activity tracking
  • File Watcher for change detection
  • Memory Limiter for resource monitoring

Debugging Tools

Leverage Sepia's debugging capabilities:

  • Generation Tracking - Track object versions
  • Event History - Audit trails for debugging
  • Backup Verification - Data integrity checking
  • File System Inspection - Direct storage examination

Performance Monitoring

Monitor application performance:

  • Object Load Times - Track storage performance
  • Memory Usage - Monitor memory consumption
  • Cache Hit Rates - Evaluate caching effectiveness
  • File Watcher Latency - Monitor change detection speed

Integration Patterns

Web Applications

Integrate Sepia with web frameworks:

  • Session Storage - Use Sepia for user sessions
  • File Management - Document and media handling
  • Configuration - Application settings management
  • Background Jobs - Persistent job storage

Desktop Applications

Use Sepia in desktop applications:

  • Local Storage - User data and preferences
  • Document Management - File handling and versioning
  • Settings Management - Application configuration
  • Import/Export - Data portability

Command Line Tools

Build CLI tools with Sepia:

  • Data Migration - Import/export utilities
  • Backup Management - Command-line backup tools
  • Data Inspection - Debugging and analysis tools
  • Batch Processing - Bulk data operations

Security Considerations

Data Protection

Implement security measures:

  • Access Control - File permissions and user access
  • Data Encryption - Encrypt sensitive data at rest
  • Backup Security - Secure backup storage
  • Audit Logging - Track data access and modifications

Input Validation

Validate user inputs:

  • ID Sanitization - Automatic path separator handling
  • Size Limits - Prevent excessive object sizes
  • Type Validation - Ensure data type consistency
  • Metadata Validation - Validate metadata content