Looking at Guava Cache we think its API is more convenient than .NET's Cache API.

Just consider:

• .NET has getters, and setters of objects by string keys.
  You should provide caching policy with each setter.

• Guava cache operates with typed storage of Key to Value.
  Provides a value factory and a caching policy in advance at cache construction.

Guava's advantange is based on an idea that homogenous storage assumes a uniform way of creation of values, and uniform caching policy. Thus a great part of logic is factored out into a cache initialization.

We have decided to create a simple adapter of the MemoryCache to achieve the same goal. Here is a result of such an experiment:

public class Cache<K, V>
  where V: class
{
  /// <summary>
  /// A cache builder.
  /// </summary>
  public struct Builder
  {
    /// <summary>
    /// A memory cache. If not specified then MemoryCache.Default is used.
    /// </summary>
    public MemoryCache MemoryCache;

    /// <summary>
    /// An expiration value.
    /// Alternatively CachePolicyFunc can be used.
    /// </summary>
    public TimeSpan Expiration;

    /// <summary>
    /// Indicates whether to use sliding (true), or absolute (false)
    /// expiration.
    /// Alternatively CachePolicyFunc can be used.
    /// </summary>
    public bool Sliding;

    /// <summary>
    /// Optional function to get caching policy.
    /// Alternatively Expiration and Sliding property can be used.
    /// </summary>
    public Func<V, CacheItemPolicy> CachePolicyFunc;

    /// <summary>
    /// Optional value validator.
    /// </summary>
    public Func<V, bool> Validator;

    /// <summary>
    /// A value factory.
    /// Alternatively FactoryAsync can be used.
    /// </summary>
    public Func<K, V> Factory;

    /// <summary>
    /// Async value factory.
    /// Alternatively Factory can be used.
    /// </summary>
    public Func<K, Task<V>> FactoryAsync;

    /// <summary>
    /// A key to string converter.
    /// </summary>
    public Func<K, string> KeyFunc;

    /// <summary>
    /// Converts builder to a Cache<K, V> instance.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="builder">A builder to convert.</param>
    /// <returns>A Cache<K, V> instance.</returns>
    public static implicit operator Cache<K, V>(Builder builder)
    {
      return new Cache<K, V>(builder);
    }
  }

  /// <summary>
  /// Creates a cache from a cache builder.
  /// </summary>
  /// <param name="builder">A cache builder instance.</param>
  public Cache(Builder builder)
  {
    if ((builder.Factory == null) && (builder.FactoryAsync == null))
    {
      throw new ArgumentException("builder.Factory");
    }

    if (builder.MemoryCache == null)
    {
      builder.MemoryCache = MemoryCache.Default;
    }

    this.builder = builder;
  }

  /// <summary>
  /// Cached value by key.
  /// </summary>
  /// <param name="key">A key.</param>
  /// <returns>A cached value.</returns>
  public V this[K key]
  {
    get { return Get(key); }
    set { Set(key, value); }
  }

  /// <summary>
  /// Sets a value for a key.
  /// </summary>
  /// <param name="key">A key to set.</param>
  /// <param name="value">A value to set.</param>
  public void Set(K key, V value)
  {
    SetImpl(GetKey(key), IsValid(value) ? value : null);
  }

  /// <summary>
  /// Gets a value for a key.
  /// </summary>
  /// <param name="key">A key to get value for.</param>
  /// <returns>A value instance.</returns>
  public V Get(K key)
  {
    var keyValue = GetKey(key);
    var value = builder.MemoryCache.Get(keyValue) as V;

    if (!IsValid(value))
    {
      value = CreateValue(key);
      SetImpl(keyValue, value);
    }

    return value;
  }

  /// <summary>
  /// Gets a task to return an async value.
  /// </summary>
  /// <param name="key">A key.</param>
  /// <returns>A cached value.</returns>
  public async Task<V> GetAsync(K key)
  {
    var keyValue = GetKey(key);
    var value = builder.MemoryCache.Get(keyValue) as V;

    if (!IsValid(value))
    {
      value = await CreateValueAsync(key);
      SetImpl(keyValue, value);
    }

    return value;
  }

  /// <summary>
  /// Gets string key value for a key.
  /// </summary>
  /// <param name="key">A key.</param>
  /// <returns>A string key value.</returns>
  protected string GetKey(K key)
  {
    return builder.KeyFunc != null ? builder.KeyFunc(key) :
      key == null ? null : key.ToString();
  }

  /// <summary>
  /// Creates a value for a key.
  /// </summary>
  /// <param name="key">A key to create value for.</param>
  /// <returns>A value instance.</returns>
  protected V CreateValue(K key)
  {
    return builder.Factory != null ? builder.Factory(key) :
      builder.FactoryAsync(key).Result;
  }

  /// <summary>
  /// Creates a task for value for a key.
  /// </summary>
  /// <param name="key">A key to create value for.</param>
  /// <returns>A task for a value instance.</returns>
  protected Task<V> CreateValueAsync(K key)
  {
    return builder.FactoryAsync != null ? builder.FactoryAsync(key) :
      Task.FromResult(builder.Factory(key));
  }

  /// <summary>
  /// Validates the value.
  /// </summary>
  /// <param name="value">A value to validate.</param>
  /// <returns>
  /// true if value is valid for a cache, and false otherise.
  /// </returns>
  protected bool IsValid(V value)
  {
    return (value != null) &&
      ((builder.Validator == null) || builder.Validator(value));
  }

  /// <summary>
  /// Set implementation.
  /// </summary>
  /// <param name="key">A key to set value for.</param>
  /// <param name="value">A value to set.</param>
  /// <returns>A set value.</returns>
  private V SetImpl(string key, V value)
  {
    if (value == null)
    {
      builder.MemoryCache.Remove(key);
    }
    else
    {
      builder.MemoryCache.Set(
        key,
        value,
        builder.CachePolicyFunc != null ? builder.CachePolicyFunc(value) :
        builder.Sliding ?
          new CacheItemPolicy { SlidingExpiration = builder.Expiration } :
          new CacheItemPolicy
          {
            AbsoluteExpiration = DateTime.Now + builder.Expiration
          });
    }

    return value;
  }

  /// <summary>
  /// Cache builder.
  /// </summary>
  private Builder builder;
}


The use consists of initialization:

Cache<MyKey, MyValue> MyValues = new Cache<MyKey, MyValue>.Builder
{
  KeyFunc = key => ...key to string value...,
  Factory = key => ...create a value for a key...,
  Expiration = new TimeSpan(0, 3, 0),
  Sliding = true
};

and a trivial cache access:

var value = MyValues[key];

This contrasts with MemoryCache coding pattern:

MemoryCache cache = MemoryCache.Default;
...

var keyAsString = ...key to string value...
var value = cache.Get(keyAsString) as MyValue;

if (value == null)
{
  value = ...create a value for a key...

  cache.Set(keyAsString, value, ...caching policy...);
}