seniorRuby

How does CRuby implement method lookup caching at the C level?

Updated May 17, 2026

Short answer

Method lookup results are cached in inline caches keyed by class version and method ID.

Deep explanation

At the C level, CRuby stores method cache entries mapping (class, method_id) to resolved method entries. Each class has a version counter. When methods change, version increments invalidate caches. This avoids repeated traversal of ancestor chains for hot method calls.

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