Asynchronous data store operations including selectively returning a value from cache or a value determined by an asynchronous computation

A processing system comprising:

• a server including at least one processor;
• persistent memory;
• a network interface device for communicating with one or more networks;
• and
• wherein the at least one processor is communicatively coupled with the persistent memory and the network interface device, the at least one processor, responsive to executing computer instructions, performing operations comprising:
• maintaining a cache of objects communicatively coupled with the server;
• executing an asynchronous computation to determine the value of a first object;
• providing a datatype which includes a field for a value and a field for a future;
• invoking computer code to lookup at least one data value corresponding to a key which returns an object of the datatype wherein the field for a value comprises a cached value corresponding to the key and the field for a future comprises a future which asynchronously calculates an updated value corresponding to the key;
• looking up, using the invoked computer code, a value of the first object and returning a value of the first object from the cache of objects, in response to receiving a key corresponding to the first object and a request for the first object occurring before the asynchronous computation has determined the value of the first object;
• and
• looking up, using the invoked computer code, a value of the first object and returning a value of the first object determined by the asynchronous computation, in response to receiving a key corresponding to the first object and a request for the first object occurring after the asynchronous computation has determined the value of the first object.