CACHEDIR.TAG for Python

This library handles CACHEDIR.TAG files. Allowing arbitrary directories to be marked as a cache directory.

A CACHEDIR.TAG file indicate directories that contain cached data, e.g.

• downloads
• previews, and thumbnails
• build artefacts, and other intermediate results

Cached data is useful, but not essential - if deleted it can be regenerated, or downloaded again. However sofware such as backup programs, or disk cleanup utilities can't know if an arbitrary path is cached data, unless it is marked.

A directory (and all directories within it) can be flagged as a cache by writing a regular file named CACHEDIR.TAG, with the first 43 bytes being

Signature: 8a477f597d28d172789f06886806bc55

After this signature any other text can be included. The specification suggests lines of text beginning with #, encoded as UTF-8. E.g.

# This file is a cache directory tag created by (application name).
# For information about cache directory tags, see:
#	http://www.brynosaurus.com/cachedir/

This library follows that suggestion.

Installation

$ python -m pip install cachedir-tag

Usage

Create your cache directory, if necessary

>>> import os, cachedir_tag
>>> os.mkdir('/var/cache/yourapp')

Tag it, this creates a new CACHEDIR.TAG file

>>> cachedir_tag.tag('/var/cache/yourapp')

Check whether the directory is tagged

>>> cachedir_tag.is_tagged('/var/cache/yourapp')
True

Check whether a sub-directory (which may not exist yet) is tagged

>>> cachedir_tag.is_tagged('/var/cache/yourapp/somedir')
True

Alternatives

Operating systems and similar platforms usually have conventions about where to place cached data. A CACHEDIR.TAG file isn't needed if you follow these conventions, but it doesn't hurt either.

More information

• Cache Directory Tagging Specification by Bryan Ford