Meta Ads Data Reuse

The Meta Ads connector uses a data reuse mechanism to optimize API requests and reduce load. Caching helps avoid repeated requests for the same data within a single session and across sessions.

How Caching Works

Cache Key

Each request to the Meta Ads API is identified by a unique key formed from:

1. Ad account ID (account_id)
2. Level of detail (level: account, campaign, adset, ad)
3. Period (date_preset or time_range)
4. Set of fields (fields)
5. Filtering parameters (filtering)
6. Breakdowns (breakdowns)

A match on all parameters means an identical request — the data is returned from the cache without hitting the API.

Cache Lifetime (TTL)

Data Type	TTL	Reason
Today's data	5 minutes	Data is actively updating
Yesterday's data	30 minutes	Minor changes due to attribution
Data older than 2 days	1 hour	Data is stable
Structural data (campaigns, ad sets)	15 minutes	Rarely changes
Asynchronous reports	Until the report expires (24 hours)	Results don't change

Cache Invalidation

The cache is automatically invalidated in the following cases:

• Manual refresh: the user clicked "Refresh data"
• Period change: a request with a new date_preset or time_range
• Configuration change: filters, breakdowns, or fields are changed
• TTL exceeded: the data is considered outdated by time

Caching Strategy

Progressive Caching

LightLead uses a progressive caching strategy:

1. First request: data is loaded from the API and saved to the cache
2. Repeat request: data is returned from the cache if the TTL hasn't expired
3. Background refresh: as the TTL nears its end, a background refresh is triggered

Hierarchical Caching

Data is cached at different levels:

1. Request level: the result of a specific API request
2. Entity level: data for individual campaigns, ad sets, ads
3. Metadata level: lists of accounts, pages, Instagram accounts

When metadata changes (e.g. a campaign is renamed), only the corresponding cache level is invalidated.

Benefits of Data Reuse

• Reduced API load: fewer requests → lower chance of throttling
• Faster response: cached data is returned instantly
• Quota savings: doesn't consume Meta API request limits
• Stability: cached data can be used during temporary API unavailability

Caching Limitations

• Not for real-time: caching is not suitable for real-time dashboards
• Memory: the cache consumes RAM
• Consistency: if data changes in Ads Manager, the cache may serve stale data until the TTL expires

Forced Refresh

To get the most up-to-date data, use the Refresh button in the LightLead interface. This forcibly invalidates the cache and performs a new API request.

Related Pages

• Asynchronous Reports
• Limitations
• Request Parameters