cache-directories.md

Cache Directories in Anserini

Anserini uses cache directories for storing various resources, such as:

• Pre-built indexes
• Encoder models
• Topics and qrels files

By default, these are stored in your home directory under ~/.cache/pyserini/.

Default Cache Paths

• Indexes: ~/.cache/pyserini/indexes/
• Encoders: ~/.cache/pyserini/encoders/
• Topics and Qrels: ~/.cache/pyserini/topics-and-qrels/

Customizing Cache Directories

You can customize these paths using environment variables.

Using Environment Variables

# Set custom cache directory for indexes
export ANSERINI_INDEX_CACHE=/path/to/custom/index/cache

# Set custom cache directory for encoders
export ANSERINI_ENCODER_CACHE=/path/to/custom/encoder/cache

# Set custom cache directory for topics and qrels
export ANSERINI_TOPICS_CACHE=/path/to/custom/topics/cache

Fallback Order

When resolving cache directories, Anserini checks for locations in the following order:

1. System property (e.g., anserini.index.cache)
2. Environment variable (e.g., ANSERINI_INDEX_CACHE)
3. Default location in the user home directory