Databases

Cyclone makes use of databases in its backend logic. Files with the extension “.db” are created primarily to improve performance when viewing data. These files store cached values, allowing information to be reloaded quickly rather than recalculated each time. Although, keeping these files is not required, it is recommended. Cyclone uses an SQLite3 \8\ database for caching and a RocksDB \9\ database for geometry construction. The RocksDB database is deleted once the geometry build is complete.

Cyclone stores its temporary files in a dedicated directory. By default, it first checks whether the environment variable CYCLONE_TEMP is defined. If so, that location is used, and Cyclone will create the directory if it does not already exist.

If CYCLONE_TEMP is not set, Cyclone falls back to the operating system’s default temporary directory:

• Windows: %TEMP% (or %TMP% if %TEMP% is unavailable).

• Linux / macOS / Unix: $TMPDIR (or /tmp if unset).

Within the chosen location, Cyclone creates and uses a Cyclone subdirectory to keep its temporary files separate. While the temporary directory can be customised, most users will not need to change it. These files can be removed, either manually or by pressing the clear temporary directory in the settings. See Figure 31.

Figure 31: Clear cache