Is using WP Transients to save external data for a plugin the best/right way?

If the data you’re fetching is only a single or at most a few instances, then the Transients API should do the job; keep in mind it also handles the auto-expiration for you.

If the data could potentially be an unlimited (or at least medium-large) number of instances, especially if there may be even slightly complex ways of finding the correct entry to retrieve (besides just an ID), then a custom table would be advisable.

Having said that, there’s a third potential option: the file system. You could store the data serialized/jsonified in a file in a subfolder of wp-content. This is of course provided the data in question is effectively public and doesn’t need to be protected in the slightest.

Related Posts:

  1. Is get_option() faster than accessing get_transient()?
  2. Best practices for using the transients API
  3. Strategies to implement selective loading of plugins
  4. Trouble with Transient API when W3TC is activated [closed]
  5. How to make dynamically-generated content searchable in WordPress?
  6. How to sync with plugins update after I have done manual optimizations?
  7. Sample — test — data for large WordPress install
  8. How can I free up the memory used by update_post_meta?
  9. How can I render shortcode so that its not cached by Caching plugins?
  10. Does WordPress’s HTTP API use any caching?
  11. Will cron job run if page loaded is being served from cache?
  12. Cache directory needed for plugin
  13. Clearing cached plugin data if it is using an external object cache
  14. I’m designing a plugin to create database indexes. Suggestions?
  15. Make WordPress cache permanent for some pages until edited
  16. Will setcookie work if there is a cache plugin installed?
  17. Maximum lifetime for nonce
  18. Clearing caches on plugin uninstall
  19. How to implement filesystem cache in WordPress
  20. Correct way to perform non-cacheable DB query
  21. Is using custom table to suit business needs instead of transients a big hit to page load speed?
  22. Caching the_content calls
  23. How to analyze wordpress plugin performance
  24. how to use shortinit in wordpress
  25. What’s the impact on WordPress’ performance regarding the amount of classes/files in a plugin?
  26. Create Widget or Enable Shortcodes in Sidebar
  27. Service Worker Uncaught (in promise) DOMException
  28. Does is_admin() really provide a plugin performance improvement?
  29. Should I use wp-content/cache or [PLUGIN_DIR]/cache?
  30. I need to refresh page to display wp_get_current_user() : why?
  31. How can I control if post updated
  32. Undefined cache functions in my custom plugin
  33. Is it possible to restore an expired transient?
  34. Plugin files not updated (cache cleared)
  35. Developing a plugin, ran it through P3 Profiler, shows up slow, but I don’t know why
  36. Using tag or inline style attribute?
  37. Does WP REST API cache internally executed (rest_do_request) requests?
  38. How to boost WP custom post REST API GET queries by custom taxonomies
  39. Update Cache on Save Instead of Clearing It?
  40. Cache API Images to Prevent Hot Linking
  41. Objective Best Practices for Plugin Development? [closed]
  42. add_menu_page() with different name for first submenu item
  43. Steps to optimize WordPress in regard to server load and website speed?
  44. Autoloading & Namespaces in WordPress Plugins & Themes: Can it Work?
  45. How to include PHP files in plugins the correct way
  46. How can I add an image upload field directly to a custom write panel?
  47. A tool to analyze rewrite rules? [closed]
  48. Difference Between Filter and Action Hooks?
  49. framework for plugin/theme options panel? [closed]
  50. Creating a table in the admin-style?
  51. How can you check if you are in a particular page in the WP Admin section? For example how can I check if I am in the Users > Your Profile page?
  52. Settings API with arrays example
  53. How to get the path to the current theme?
  54. How to make a plugin require another plugin?
  55. ajaxurl not defined on front end
  56. What process do you use for WordPress development? [closed]
  57. How well does WordPress scale?
  58. What’s the difference between term_id and term_taxonomy_id
  59. Should I use wpdb prepare?
  60. Why does WordPress use outdated jQuery v1.12.4?
  61. Post meta vs separate database tables
  62. Is there any plugin development framework
  63. Is it possible to reuse wp.media.editor Modal for dialogs other than media
  64. What are the best practices for using a caching plugin on a shared host?
  65. How to add a javascript snippet to the footer that requires jQuery
  66. Enhance Media Manager for Gallery
  67. How do I create a custom role capability?
  68. How do I add CSS options to my plugin without using inline styles?
  69. How do i best handle custom plugin page actions?
  70. Adding Custom Text Patterns in the WP 4.5 Visual Editor
  71. Automatically determine minimum WordPress version required for a plugin?
  72. What is the advantage of using wp_mail?
  73. How to make a WordPress plugin translation ready?
  74. How many times will this code run? (or, how rich is grandma?)
  75. How to create an API for my plugin?
  76. Is it ever okay to include inline CSS in plugins?
  77. Plugins in symlinked directories?
  78. How to override existing plugin action with new action
  79. How to include a file using get_template_part() in a plugin?
  80. Add custom TinyMCE 4 Button, Usable since WordPress 3.9-beta1
  81. How to store username and password to API in wordpress option DB?
  82. body_class hook for admin pages
  83. “Error: Options Page Not Found” on Settings Page Submission for an OOP Plugin
  84. Is it mandatory to use $wpdb->prefix in custom tables
  85. Which hook should be used to add an action containing a redirect?
  86. add_action hook for completely new post?
  87. Why does WordPress add 0 (zero) to an Ajax response?
  88. What should I use instead of WP_CONTENT_DIR and WP_PLUGIN_DIR?
  89. How to enqueue JavaScripts in a plugin
  90. In Which Contexts are Plugins Responsible for Data Validation/Sanitization?
  91. Plugin Form Submission Best Practice
  92. How to redirect to settings page once the plugin is activated?
  93. Is get_option function cached?
  94. Should Plugin Folders Include a Blank index.php File?
  95. Unit testing for plugin development
  96. Methods of Integrating Plugin Data with Themes
  97. What is the wordpress wp-includes folder for?
  98. WordPress Update Plugin Hook/Action? Since 3.9
  99. How to include jQuery and JavaScript files correctly?
  100. How come `wp_options` table does not have an index on `autoload`?
Hata!: SQLSTATE[HY000] [1045] Access denied for user 'divattrend_liink'@'localhost' (using password: YES)