diff --git a/.changeset/cool-cache-bro.md b/.changeset/cool-cache-bro.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9d5f998897
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/cool-cache-bro.md
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+---
+'@backstage/backend-common': minor
+---
+
+Introducing: a standard API for App Integrators to configure cache stores and Plugin Developers to interact with them.
+
+Two cache stores are currently supported.
+
+- `memory`, which is a very simple in-memory key/value store, intended for local development.
+- `memcache`, which can be used to connect to a memcache host.
+
+Configuring and working with cache stores is very similar to the process for database connections.
+
+```yaml
+backend:
+  cache:
+    store: memcache
+    connection: user:pass@cache.example.com:11211
+```
+
+```typescript
+import { CacheManager } from '@backstage/backend-common';
+
+// Instantiating a cache client for a plugin.
+const cacheManager = CacheManager.fromConfig(config);
+const somePluginCache = cacheManager.forPlugin('somePlugin');
+const cacheClient = somePluginCache.getClient();
+
+// Using the cache client:
+const cachedValue = await cacheClient.get('someKey');
+if (cachedValue) {
+  return cachedValue;
+} else {
+  const someValue = await someExpensiveProcess();
+  await cacheClient.set('someKey', someValue);
+}
+await cacheClient.delete('someKey');
+```
+
+Cache clients deal with TTLs in milliseconds. A TTL can be provided as a defaultTtl when getting a client, or may be passed when setting specific objects. If no TTL is provided, data will be persisted indefinitely.
+
+```typescript
+// Getting a client with a default TTL
+const cacheClient = somePluginCache.getClient({
+  defaultTtl: 3600000,
+});
+
+// Setting a TTL on a per-object basis.
+cacheClient.set('someKey', data, { ttl: 3600000 });
+```
+
+Configuring a cache store is optional. Even when no cache store is configured, the cache manager will dutifully pass plugins a manager that resolves a cache client that does not actually write or read any data.
diff --git a/.github/styles/vocab.txt b/.github/styles/vocab.txt
index 694226b8cc..ff856239bf 100644
--- a/.github/styles/vocab.txt
+++ b/.github/styles/vocab.txt
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ mailto
 maintainership
 makefile
 md
+memcache
 microsite
 middleware
 minikube
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/api-report.md b/packages/backend-common/api-report.md
index f0cb066dc0..23e22fe34b 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/api-report.md
+++ b/packages/backend-common/api-report.md
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import { GithubCredentialsProvider } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { GitHubIntegration } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { GitLabIntegration } from '@backstage/integration';
 import * as http from 'http';
+import { JsonValue } from '@backstage/config';
 import { Knex } from 'knex';
 import { Logger } from 'winston';
 import { MergeResult } from 'isomorphic-git';
@@ -62,6 +63,19 @@ export class BitbucketUrlReader implements UrlReader {
     toString(): string;
 }
 
+// @public
+export interface CacheClient {
+    delete(key: string): Promise<void>;
+    get(key: string): Promise<JsonValue | undefined>;
+    set(key: string, value: JsonValue, options?: CacheSetOptions): Promise<void>;
+}
+
+// @public
+export class CacheManager {
+    forPlugin(pluginId: string): PluginCacheManager;
+    static fromConfig(config: Config): CacheManager;
+    }
+
 // @public (undocumented)
 export const coloredFormat: winston.Logform.Format;
 
@@ -238,6 +252,11 @@ export function loadBackendConfig(options: Options): Promise<Config>;
 // @public
 export function notFoundHandler(): RequestHandler;
 
+// @public
+export type PluginCacheManager = {
+    getClient: (options?: ClientOptions) => CacheClient;
+};
+
 // @public
 export interface PluginDatabaseManager {
     getClient(): Promise<Knex>;
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/config.d.ts b/packages/backend-common/config.d.ts
index 41845f952e..875660a594 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/config.d.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-common/config.d.ts
@@ -68,6 +68,20 @@ export interface Config {
           connection: string | object;
         };
 
+    /** Cache connection configuration, select cache type using the `store` field */
+    cache?:
+      | {
+          store: 'memory';
+        }
+      | {
+          store: 'memcache';
+          /**
+           * A memcache connection string in the form `user:pass@host:port`.
+           * @secret
+           */
+          connection: string;
+        };
+
     cors?: {
       origin?: string | string[];
       methods?: string | string[];
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/package.json b/packages/backend-common/package.json
index a144f1c23f..9bd7de1227 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/package.json
+++ b/packages/backend-common/package.json
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@
     "git-url-parse": "^11.4.4",
     "helmet": "^4.0.0",
     "isomorphic-git": "^1.8.0",
+    "keyv": "^4.0.3",
+    "keyv-memcache": "^1.2.5",
     "knex": "^0.95.1",
     "lodash": "^4.17.15",
     "logform": "^2.1.1",
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/cache/CacheClient.test.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/CacheClient.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..81e8351b58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/CacheClient.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 Spotify AB
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { DefaultCacheClient } from './CacheClient';
+import Keyv from 'keyv';
+
+describe('CacheClient', () => {
+  let client: Keyv;
+  const b64 = (k: string) => Buffer.from(k).toString('base64');
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    client = new Keyv();
+    client.get = jest.fn();
+    client.set = jest.fn();
+    client.delete = jest.fn();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => jest.resetAllMocks());
+
+  describe('CacheClient.get', () => {
+    it('calls client with normalized key', async () => {
+      const sut = new DefaultCacheClient({ client });
+      const key = 'somekey';
+
+      await sut.get(key);
+
+      expect(client.get).toHaveBeenCalledWith(b64(key));
+    });
+
+    it('calls client with normalized key (very long key)', async () => {
+      const sut = new DefaultCacheClient({ client });
+      const key = 'x'.repeat(251);
+
+      await sut.get(key);
+
+      const spy = client.get as jest.Mock;
+      const actualKey = spy.mock.calls[0][0];
+      expect(actualKey).not.toEqual(b64(key));
+      expect(actualKey.length).toBeLessThan(250);
+    });
+
+    it('rejects on underlying error', async () => {
+      const sut = new DefaultCacheClient({ client });
+      const expectedError = new Error('Some runtime error');
+      client.get = jest.fn().mockRejectedValue(expectedError);
+
+      return expect(sut.get('someKey')).rejects.toEqual(expectedError);
+    });
+
+    it('resolves what underlying client resolves', async () => {
+      const sut = new DefaultCacheClient({ client });
+      const expectedValue = 'some value';
+      client.get = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(expectedValue);
+
+      const actualValue = await sut.get('someKey');
+
+      return expect(actualValue).toEqual(expectedValue);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('CacheClient.set', () => {
+    it('calls client with normalized key', async () => {
+      const sut = new DefaultCacheClient({ client });
+      const key = 'somekey';
+
+      await sut.set(key, {});
+
+      const spy = client.set as jest.Mock;
+      const actualKey = spy.mock.calls[0][0];
+      expect(actualKey).toEqual(b64(key));
+    });
+
+    it('passes ttl to client when given', async () => {
+      const sut = new DefaultCacheClient({ client });
+      const expectedTtl = 3600;
+
+      await sut.set('someKey', {}, { ttl: expectedTtl });
+
+      const spy = client.set as jest.Mock;
+      const actualTtl = spy.mock.calls[0][2];
+      expect(actualTtl).toEqual(expectedTtl);
+    });
+
+    it('rejects on underlying error if configured', async () => {
+      const sut = new DefaultCacheClient({ client });
+      const expectedError = new Error('Some runtime error');
+      client.set = jest.fn().mockRejectedValue(expectedError);
+
+      return expect(sut.set('someKey', {})).rejects.toEqual(expectedError);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('CacheClient.delete', () => {
+    it('calls client with normalized key', async () => {
+      const sut = new DefaultCacheClient({ client });
+      const key = 'somekey';
+
+      await sut.delete(key);
+
+      const spy = client.delete as jest.Mock;
+      const actualKey = spy.mock.calls[0][0];
+      expect(actualKey).toEqual(b64(key));
+    });
+
+    it('rejects on underlying error if configured', async () => {
+      const sut = new DefaultCacheClient({ client });
+      const expectedError = new Error('Some runtime error');
+      client.delete = jest.fn().mockRejectedValue(expectedError);
+
+      return expect(sut.delete('someKey')).rejects.toEqual(expectedError);
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/cache/CacheClient.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/CacheClient.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..49b5c367dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/CacheClient.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 Spotify AB
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { JsonValue } from '@backstage/config';
+import { createHash } from 'crypto';
+import Keyv from 'keyv';
+
+type CacheClientArgs = {
+  client: Keyv;
+};
+
+type CacheSetOptions = {
+  /**
+   * Optional TTL in milliseconds. Defaults to the TTL provided when the client
+   * was set up (or no TTL if none are provided).
+   */
+  ttl?: number;
+};
+
+/**
+ * A pre-configured, storage agnostic cache client suitable for use by
+ * Backstage plugins.
+ */
+export interface CacheClient {
+  /**
+   * Reads data from a cache store for the given key. If no data was found,
+   * returns undefined.
+   */
+  get(key: string): Promise<JsonValue | undefined>;
+
+  /**
+   * Writes the given data to a cache store, associated with the given key. An
+   * optional TTL may also be provided, otherwise it defaults to the TTL that
+   * was provided when the client was instantiated.
+   */
+  set(key: string, value: JsonValue, options?: CacheSetOptions): Promise<void>;
+
+  /**
+   * Removes the given key from the cache store.
+   */
+  delete(key: string): Promise<void>;
+}
+
+/**
+ * A basic, concrete implementation of the CacheClient, suitable for almost
+ * all uses in Backstage.
+ */
+export class DefaultCacheClient implements CacheClient {
+  private readonly client: Keyv;
+
+  constructor({ client }: CacheClientArgs) {
+    this.client = client;
+  }
+
+  async get(key: string): Promise<JsonValue | undefined> {
+    const k = this.getNormalizedKey(key);
+    return await this.client.get(k);
+  }
+
+  async set(
+    key: string,
+    value: JsonValue,
+    opts: CacheSetOptions = {},
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    const k = this.getNormalizedKey(key);
+    await this.client.set(k, value, opts.ttl);
+  }
+
+  async delete(key: string): Promise<void> {
+    const k = this.getNormalizedKey(key);
+    await this.client.delete(k);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Ensures keys are well-formed for any/all cache stores.
+   */
+  private getNormalizedKey(candidateKey: string): string {
+    // Remove potentially invalid characters.
+    const wellFormedKey = Buffer.from(candidateKey).toString('base64');
+
+    // Memcache in particular doesn't do well with keys > 250 bytes.
+    if (wellFormedKey.length < 250) {
+      return wellFormedKey;
+    }
+
+    return createHash('md5').update(candidateKey).digest('base64');
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/cache/CacheManager.test.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/CacheManager.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ece4687ee6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/CacheManager.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,166 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 Spotify AB
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { ConfigReader } from '@backstage/config';
+import Keyv from 'keyv';
+/* @ts-expect-error */
+import KeyvMemcache from 'keyv-memcache';
+import { DefaultCacheClient } from './CacheClient';
+import { CacheManager } from './CacheManager';
+import { NoStore } from './NoStore';
+
+jest.createMockFromModule('keyv');
+jest.mock('keyv');
+jest.createMockFromModule('keyv-memcache');
+jest.mock('keyv-memcache');
+jest.mock('./CacheClient', () => {
+  return {
+    DefaultCacheClient: jest.fn(),
+  };
+});
+
+describe('CacheManager', () => {
+  const defaultConfigOptions = {
+    backend: {
+      cache: {
+        store: 'memory',
+      },
+    },
+  };
+  const defaultConfig = () => new ConfigReader(defaultConfigOptions);
+
+  afterEach(() => jest.resetAllMocks());
+
+  describe('CacheManager.fromConfig', () => {
+    it('accesses the backend.cache key', () => {
+      const getOptionalString = jest.fn();
+      const config = defaultConfig();
+      config.getOptionalString = getOptionalString;
+
+      CacheManager.fromConfig(config);
+
+      expect(getOptionalString.mock.calls[0][0]).toEqual('backend.cache.store');
+      expect(getOptionalString.mock.calls[1][0]).toEqual(
+        'backend.cache.connection',
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('does not require the backend.cache key', () => {
+      const config = new ConfigReader({ backend: {} });
+      expect(() => {
+        CacheManager.fromConfig(config);
+      }).not.toThrowError();
+    });
+
+    it('throws on unknown cache store', () => {
+      const config = new ConfigReader({
+        backend: { cache: { store: 'notreal' } },
+      });
+      expect(() => {
+        CacheManager.fromConfig(config);
+      }).toThrowError();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('CacheManager.forPlugin', () => {
+    const manager = CacheManager.fromConfig(defaultConfig());
+
+    it('connects to a cache store scoped to the plugin', async () => {
+      const pluginId = 'test1';
+      manager.forPlugin(pluginId).getClient();
+
+      const client = DefaultCacheClient as jest.Mock;
+      expect(client).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    });
+
+    it('provides different plugins different cache clients', async () => {
+      const plugin1Id = 'test1';
+      const plugin2Id = 'test2';
+      const expectedTtl = 3600;
+      manager.forPlugin(plugin1Id).getClient({ defaultTtl: expectedTtl });
+      manager.forPlugin(plugin2Id).getClient({ defaultTtl: expectedTtl });
+
+      const client = DefaultCacheClient as jest.Mock;
+      const cache = (Keyv as unknown) as jest.Mock;
+      expect(cache).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+      expect(client).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+
+      const plugin1CallArgs = cache.mock.calls[0];
+      const plugin2CallArgs = cache.mock.calls[1];
+      expect(plugin1CallArgs[0].namespace).not.toEqual(
+        plugin2CallArgs[0].namespace,
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('CacheManager.forPlugin stores', () => {
+    it('returns none client when no cache is configured', () => {
+      const manager = CacheManager.fromConfig(
+        new ConfigReader({ backend: {} }),
+      );
+      const expectedNamespace = 'test-plugin';
+      manager.forPlugin(expectedNamespace).getClient();
+
+      const cache = (Keyv as unknown) as jest.Mock;
+      const mockCalls = cache.mock.calls.splice(-1);
+      const callArgs = mockCalls[0];
+      expect(callArgs[0].store).toBeInstanceOf(NoStore);
+    });
+
+    it('returns memory client when explicitly configured', () => {
+      const manager = CacheManager.fromConfig(defaultConfig());
+      const expectedTtl = 3600;
+      const expectedNamespace = 'test-plugin';
+      manager
+        .forPlugin(expectedNamespace)
+        .getClient({ defaultTtl: expectedTtl });
+
+      const cache = (Keyv as unknown) as jest.Mock;
+      const mockCalls = cache.mock.calls.splice(-1);
+      const callArgs = mockCalls[0];
+      expect(callArgs[0]).toMatchObject({
+        ttl: expectedTtl,
+        namespace: expectedNamespace,
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('returns a memcache client when configured', () => {
+      const expectedHost = '127.0.0.1:11211';
+      const manager = CacheManager.fromConfig(
+        new ConfigReader({
+          backend: {
+            cache: {
+              store: 'memcache',
+              connection: expectedHost,
+            },
+          },
+        }),
+      );
+      const expectedTtl = 3600;
+      manager.forPlugin('test').getClient({ defaultTtl: expectedTtl });
+
+      const cache = (Keyv as unknown) as jest.Mock;
+      const mockCacheCalls = cache.mock.calls.splice(-1);
+      expect(mockCacheCalls[0][0]).toMatchObject({
+        ttl: expectedTtl,
+      });
+      expect(mockCacheCalls[0][0].store).toBeInstanceOf(KeyvMemcache);
+      const memcache = KeyvMemcache as jest.Mock;
+      const mockMemcacheCalls = memcache.mock.calls.splice(-1);
+      expect(mockMemcacheCalls[0][0]).toEqual(expectedHost);
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/cache/CacheManager.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/CacheManager.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fbd7e3ba0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/CacheManager.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 Spotify AB
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { Config } from '@backstage/config';
+import Keyv from 'keyv';
+// @ts-expect-error
+import KeyvMemcache from 'keyv-memcache';
+import { DefaultCacheClient, CacheClient } from './CacheClient';
+import { NoStore } from './NoStore';
+import { PluginCacheManager } from './types';
+
+/**
+ * Implements a Cache Manager which will automatically create new cache clients
+ * for plugins when requested. All requested cache clients are created with the
+ * connection details provided.
+ */
+export class CacheManager {
+  /**
+   * Keys represent supported `backend.cache.store` values, mapped to factories
+   * that return Keyv instances appropriate to the store.
+   */
+  private readonly storeFactories = {
+    memcache: this.getMemcacheClient,
+    memory: this.getMemoryClient,
+    none: this.getNoneClient,
+  };
+
+  private readonly store: keyof CacheManager['storeFactories'];
+  private readonly connection: string;
+
+  /**
+   * Creates a new CacheManager instance by reading from the `backend` config
+   * section, specifically the `.cache` key.
+   *
+   * @param config The loaded application configuration.
+   */
+  static fromConfig(config: Config): CacheManager {
+    // If no `backend.cache` config is provided, instantiate the CacheManager
+    // with a "NoStore" cache client.
+    const store = config.getOptionalString('backend.cache.store') || 'none';
+    const connectionString =
+      config.getOptionalString('backend.cache.connection') || '';
+    return new CacheManager(store, connectionString);
+  }
+
+  private constructor(store: string, connectionString: string) {
+    if (!this.storeFactories.hasOwnProperty(store)) {
+      throw new Error(`Unknown cache store: ${store}`);
+    }
+    this.store = store as keyof CacheManager['storeFactories'];
+    this.connection = connectionString;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Generates a CacheManagerInstance for consumption by plugins.
+   *
+   * @param pluginId The plugin that the cache manager should be created for. Plugin names should be unique.
+   */
+  forPlugin(pluginId: string): PluginCacheManager {
+    return {
+      getClient: (opts = {}): CacheClient => {
+        const concreteClient = this.getClientWithTtl(pluginId, opts.defaultTtl);
+        return new DefaultCacheClient({
+          client: concreteClient,
+        });
+      },
+    };
+  }
+
+  private getClientWithTtl(pluginId: string, ttl: number | undefined): Keyv {
+    return this.storeFactories[this.store].call(this, pluginId, ttl);
+  }
+
+  private getMemcacheClient(
+    pluginId: string,
+    defaultTtl: number | undefined,
+  ): Keyv {
+    return new Keyv({
+      namespace: pluginId,
+      ttl: defaultTtl,
+      store: new KeyvMemcache(this.connection),
+    });
+  }
+
+  private getMemoryClient(
+    pluginId: string,
+    defaultTtl: number | undefined,
+  ): Keyv {
+    return new Keyv({
+      namespace: pluginId,
+      ttl: defaultTtl,
+    });
+  }
+
+  private getNoneClient(pluginId: string): Keyv {
+    return new Keyv({
+      namespace: pluginId,
+      store: new NoStore(),
+    });
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/cache/NoStore.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/NoStore.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c89e814c93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/NoStore.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 Spotify AB
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Storage class compatible with Keyv which always results in a no-op. This is
+ * used when no cache store is configured in a Backstage backend instance.
+ */
+export class NoStore extends Map<string, any> {
+  clear(): void {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  delete(_key: string): boolean {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  get(_key: string) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  has(_key: string): boolean {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  set(_key: string, _value: any): this {
+    return this;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/cache/index.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0cc8178b1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 Spotify AB
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+export type { CacheClient } from './CacheClient';
+export { CacheManager } from './CacheManager';
+export type { PluginCacheManager } from './types';
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/cache/types.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/types.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4dd3cf7d1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/cache/types.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2020 Spotify AB
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import { CacheClient } from './CacheClient';
+
+type ClientOptions = {
+  /**
+   * An optional default TTL (in milliseconds) to be set when getting a client
+   * instance. If not provided, data will persist indefinitely by default (or
+   * can be configured per entry at set-time).
+   */
+  defaultTtl?: number;
+};
+
+/**
+ * The PluginCacheManager manages access to cache stores that Plugins get.
+ */
+export type PluginCacheManager = {
+  /**
+   * getClient provides backend plugins cache connections for itself.
+   *
+   * The purpose of this method is to allow plugins to get isolated data
+   * stores so that plugins are discouraged from cache-level integration
+   * and/or cache key collisions.
+   */
+  getClient: (options?: ClientOptions) => CacheClient;
+};
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/index.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/index.ts
index 29b1062750..dab981a824 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/index.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
+export * from './cache';
 export * from './config';
 export * from './database';
 export * from './discovery';
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/index.ts b/packages/backend/src/index.ts
index 00ed248df5..d43c8f0101 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/index.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 
 import Router from 'express-promise-router';
 import {
+  CacheManager,
   createServiceBuilder,
   getRootLogger,
   loadBackendConfig,
@@ -59,11 +60,13 @@ function makeCreateEnv(config: Config) {
   root.info(`Created UrlReader ${reader}`);
 
   const databaseManager = SingleConnectionDatabaseManager.fromConfig(config);
+  const cacheManager = CacheManager.fromConfig(config);
 
   return (plugin: string): PluginEnvironment => {
     const logger = root.child({ type: 'plugin', plugin });
     const database = databaseManager.forPlugin(plugin);
-    return { logger, database, config, reader, discovery };
+    const cache = cacheManager.forPlugin(plugin);
+    return { logger, cache, database, config, reader, discovery };
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/types.ts b/packages/backend/src/types.ts
index f63b9dd780..356dd08d5f 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/types.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 import { Logger } from 'winston';
 import { Config } from '@backstage/config';
 import {
+  PluginCacheManager,
   PluginDatabaseManager,
   PluginEndpointDiscovery,
   UrlReader,
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ import {
 
 export type PluginEnvironment = {
   logger: Logger;
+  cache: PluginCacheManager;
   database: PluginDatabaseManager;
   config: Config;
   reader: UrlReader;
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 8aaf6d3761..69fe2539ac 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -14428,9 +14428,9 @@ graphql-extensions@^0.12.8:
     apollo-server-env "^3.0.0"
     apollo-server-types "^0.6.3"
 
-graphql-language-service-interface@2.8.2, graphql-language-service-interface@^2.8.2:
+graphql-language-service-interface@^2.8.2:
   version "2.8.2"
-  resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/graphql-language-service-interface/-/graphql-language-service-interface-2.8.2.tgz#b3bb2aef7eaf0dff0b4ea419fa412c5f66fa268b"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/graphql-language-service-interface/-/graphql-language-service-interface-2.8.2.tgz#b3bb2aef7eaf0dff0b4ea419fa412c5f66fa268b"
   integrity sha512-otbOQmhgkAJU1QJgQkMztNku6SbJLu/uodoFOYOOtJsizTjrMs93vkYaHCcYnLA3oi1Goj27XcHjMnRCYQOZXQ==
   dependencies:
     graphql-language-service-parser "^1.9.0"
@@ -14438,9 +14438,9 @@ graphql-language-service-interface@2.8.2, graphql-language-service-interface@^2.
     graphql-language-service-utils "^2.5.1"
     vscode-languageserver-types "^3.15.1"
 
-graphql-language-service-parser@1.9.0, graphql-language-service-parser@^1.9.0:
+graphql-language-service-parser@^1.9.0:
   version "1.9.0"
-  resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/graphql-language-service-parser/-/graphql-language-service-parser-1.9.0.tgz#79af21294119a0a7e81b6b994a1af36833bab724"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/graphql-language-service-parser/-/graphql-language-service-parser-1.9.0.tgz#79af21294119a0a7e81b6b994a1af36833bab724"
   integrity sha512-B5xPZLbBmIp0kHvpY1Z35I5DtPoDK9wGxQVRDIzcBaiIvAmlTrDvjo3bu7vKREdjFbYKvWNgrEWENuprMbF17Q==
   dependencies:
     graphql-language-service-types "^1.8.0"
@@ -16870,7 +16870,7 @@ json-buffer@3.0.0:
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/json-buffer/-/json-buffer-3.0.0.tgz#5b1f397afc75d677bde8bcfc0e47e1f9a3d9a898"
   integrity sha1-Wx85evx11ne96Lz8Dkfh+aPZqJg=
 
-json-buffer@3.0.1:
+json-buffer@3.0.1, json-buffer@^3.0.1:
   version "3.0.1"
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/json-buffer/-/json-buffer-3.0.1.tgz#9338802a30d3b6605fbe0613e094008ca8c05a13"
   integrity sha512-4bV5BfR2mqfQTJm+V5tPPdf+ZpuhiIvTuAB5g8kcrXOZpTT/QwwVRWBywX1ozr6lEuPdbHxwaJlm9G6mI2sfSQ==
@@ -17222,6 +17222,14 @@ keytar@^5.4.0:
     nan "2.14.1"
     prebuild-install "5.3.3"
 
+keyv-memcache@^1.2.5:
+  version "1.2.5"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/keyv-memcache/-/keyv-memcache-1.2.5.tgz#9097af5c617dc740e7300ebfd4a2efb8917429e3"
+  integrity sha512-iG+GHlhXyV83gmlCtMFIqNYVvv0i0towAy42NvziUR7D+k9jp81fAq0lu66H4gooOnW+ojkdigRvRpL40j1f7w==
+  dependencies:
+    json-buffer "^3.0.1"
+    memjs "^1.3.0"
+
 keyv@^3.0.0:
   version "3.1.0"
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/keyv/-/keyv-3.1.0.tgz#ecc228486f69991e49e9476485a5be1e8fc5c4d9"
@@ -17236,6 +17244,13 @@ keyv@^4.0.0:
   dependencies:
     json-buffer "3.0.1"
 
+keyv@^4.0.3:
+  version "4.0.3"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/keyv/-/keyv-4.0.3.tgz#4f3aa98de254803cafcd2896734108daa35e4254"
+  integrity sha512-zdGa2TOpSZPq5mU6iowDARnMBZgtCqJ11dJROFi6tg6kTn4nuUdU09lFyLFSaHrWqpIJ+EBq4E8/Dc0Vx5vLdA==
+  dependencies:
+    json-buffer "3.0.1"
+
 killable@^1.0.1:
   version "1.0.1"
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/killable/-/killable-1.0.1.tgz#4c8ce441187a061c7474fb87ca08e2a638194892"
@@ -18309,6 +18324,11 @@ media-typer@0.3.0:
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/media-typer/-/media-typer-0.3.0.tgz#8710d7af0aa626f8fffa1ce00168545263255748"
   integrity sha1-hxDXrwqmJvj/+hzgAWhUUmMlV0g=
 
+memjs@^1.3.0:
+  version "1.3.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/memjs/-/memjs-1.3.0.tgz#b7959b4ff3770e4c785463fd147f1e4fafd47a24"
+  integrity sha512-y/V9a0auepA9Lgyr4QieK6K2FczjHucEdTpSS+hHVNmVEkYxruXhkHu8n6DSRQ4HXHEE3cc6Sf9f88WCJXGXsQ==
+
 memoize-one@^5.1.1:
   version "5.1.1"
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/memoize-one/-/memoize-one-5.1.1.tgz#047b6e3199b508eaec03504de71229b8eb1d75c0"
@@ -25699,11 +25719,16 @@ typescript-json-schema@^0.49.0:
     typescript "^4.1.3"
     yargs "^16.2.0"
 
-typescript@^4.0.3, typescript@^4.1.3, typescript@~4.1.3:
+typescript@^4.0.3, typescript@^4.1.3:
   version "4.2.3"
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/typescript/-/typescript-4.2.3.tgz#39062d8019912d43726298f09493d598048c1ce3"
   integrity sha512-qOcYwxaByStAWrBf4x0fibwZvMRG+r4cQoTjbPtUlrWjBHbmCAww1i448U0GJ+3cNNEtebDteo/cHOR3xJ4wEw==
 
+typescript@~4.1.3:
+  version "4.1.5"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/typescript/-/typescript-4.1.5.tgz#123a3b214aaff3be32926f0d8f1f6e704eb89a72"
+  integrity sha512-6OSu9PTIzmn9TCDiovULTnET6BgXtDYL4Gg4szY+cGsc3JP1dQL8qvE8kShTRx1NIw4Q9IBHlwODjkjWEtMUyA==
+
 ua-parser-js@^0.7.18:
   version "0.7.28"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/ua-parser-js/-/ua-parser-js-0.7.28.tgz#8ba04e653f35ce210239c64661685bf9121dec31"