System and method for delivering application metadata

A method, comprising:

• transmitting, from a client device to a database server, a first hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request for content associated with a webpage;
• wherein the first HTTP request causes the database server to perform actions comprising:
• separating, by the database server, the first HTTP request into a first query for application data and a second query for sets of application metadata, wherein the application data are representative of the content associated with the webpage, and wherein the sets of application metadata include information about the application data;
• retrieving, by the database server from an application data database, the application data using the first query;
• and
• retrieving, by the database server from an application metadata database, different from the application data database, a plurality of cache keys associated with respective sets of application metadata identified in the first HTTP request using the second query;
• receiving, from the database server a first HTTP response comprising the plurality of cache keys associated with respective sets of application metadata identified in the first HTTP request, wherein the first HTTP response does not contain the application data;
• identifying one or more cache keys of the plurality of cache keys that are not stored in a local HTTP cache;
• transmitting, to the database server, a second HTTP request identifying the one or more cache keys of the plurality of cache keys identified by the client device;
• receiving, from the database server, a second HTTP response comprising one or more respective sets of application metadata corresponding to the one or more cache keys of the plurality of cache keys identified by the client device;
• and
• rendering the webpage with the content using the respective sets of application metadata identified in the HTTP request.

A non-transitory, computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of a server, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

• receiving an update to a set of application metadata stored in an application metadata database;
• storing the updated set of application metadata in the application metadata database;
• generating, by applying a hash function, a cache key for the updated set of application metadata;
• storing the cache key in a hash table of the application metadata database;
• receiving, from a client device, a first hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request for content associated with a webpage;
• separating the first HTTP request into a first query for application data and a second query for sets of application metadata, including the set of application metadata, wherein the application data are representative of the content associated with the webpage, and wherein the sets of application metadata include information about the application data;
• retrieving, from an application data database, the application data using the first query;
• retrieving, from the application metadata database, different from the application data database, a plurality of cache keys, including the cache key, associated with respective sets of the application metadata identified in the first HTTP request using the second query;
• transmitting, to the client device, a first HTTP response identifying the plurality of cache keys associated with the respective sets of application metadata identified in the first HTTP request, wherein the first HTTP response does not contain the application data;
• retrieving, from an application database, application data corresponding to the first HTTP request;
• transmitting, to the client device, a second HTTP response comprising the application data corresponding to the first HTTP request;
• receiving, from the client device, a second HTTP request indicating that the cache key is not stored in a local HTTP cache;
• retrieving, from the application metadata database, the updated set of application metadata corresponding to the cache key;
• and
• transmitting, to the client device, a third HTTP response comprising the updated set of application metadata corresponding to the cache key.