---
schema_version: "1"
id: 42bda3e2d2a6b3e5f8d5dab449634f5e77bd67dc8d18571997724ef92a6b81cf
title: Repeatable vs. Non-Repeatable Streaming
collection: mulesoft
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/mulesoft/current/en-us/mule-runtime/latest/tuning-repeatable-nonrepeatable.md
canonical_url: https://docs.mulesoft.com/mule-runtime/latest/tuning-repeatable-nonrepeatable
source_site: docs.mulesoft.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 16478a001c7169afc23eb9e6fbb9f2660e1c584ec89fb03c99095889c4b8d0cb
description: MuleSoft Documentation Site
release: "4.13"
latest: true
---
---
product: Mule Runtime
version: 4.13
is-latest-version: true
---

# Repeatable vs. Non-Repeatable Streaming

> For the full documentation index, see: https://docs.mulesoft.com/llms.txt

Choose between non-repeatable and repeatable streaming to optimize flow performance in Mule.
Non-repeatable streams let you read the payload once; repeatable streams support multiple or
concurrent reads. Maximize flow performance by choosing the streaming strategy that matches how your
flow consumes the payload:

- A non-repeatable stream (read payload only once) or

- A repeatable stream (read payload more than once)

## Non-Repeatable Streaming

The non-repeatable strategy disables repeatable streams. If your use case requires reading the
payload only once, use the `non-repeatable-stream` parameter in the connector. See this example:

```xml
<file:read path="exampleFile.json">
  <non-repeatable-stream />
</file:read>
```

## Repeatable Streaming

Alternatively, if your use case requires reading the payload multiple times or concurrently, you can
choose among these two strategies:

- File-store streaming

- In-memory streaming

### File-Store Repeatable Stream

When using the file-store repeatable stream strategy, configure these parameters to optimize
performance:

- `inMemorySize`  
  Defines the buffer size stored in memory before Mule writes to disk.

- `bufferUnit`  
  Defines the unit of measurement for the buffer size.

- `eagerRead`  
  Determines whether Mule reads the buffer as soon as data is available (`true`) or waits until the
  buffer fills (`false`). The default value is `false`.

When configuring `inMemorySize`, consider these trade-offs:

- Configure a larger buffer size to reduce disk writes and improve performance. However, larger
  buffers require more memory and can reduce the number of concurrent requests your application can
  handle.

- Configure a smaller buffer size to reduce memory usage at the cost of slower response time.

This example configures a file-store repeatable stream with a buffer size of 1 MB:

```xml
<file:read path="bigFile.json">
  <repeatable-file-store-stream
    inMemorySize="1"
    bufferUnit="MB"
    eagerRead="true"/>
</file:read>
```

Always run performance tests to find the optimal buffer size for your specific use case.

### In-Memory Repeatable Stream

When using the in-memory repeatable stream strategy, to manage larger or smaller files, configure
these parameters:

- `initialBufferSize`  
  Defines the initial buffer size.

- `bufferSizeIncrement`  
  Defines how much the buffer grows each time it expands.

- `maxInMemorySize`  
  Defines the maximum amount of content stored in memory.

- `bufferUnit`  
  Defines the unit of measurement for buffer values.

- `eagerRead`  
  Defines whether Mule reads the buffer as soon as data is available (`true`) or waits until the
  buffer fills (`false`). The default value is `false`. The default buffer size is 512 KB. Adjust
  the buffer configuration based on your payload size and expected concurrency.

This example configures an in-memory repeatable stream with an initial size of 512 KB, which grows
at a rate of 256 KB and allows up to 2000 KB (2 MB) of content in memory:

```xml
<file:read path="exampleFile.json">
  <repeatable-in-memory-stream
    initialBufferSize="512"
    bufferSizeIncrement="256"
    maxInMemorySize="2000"
    bufferUnit="KB"/>
</file:read>
```

Always run performance tests to find the optimal buffer size for your specific use case.

## See Also

- [Streaming in Mule Apps](https://docs.mulesoft.com/mule-runtime/latest/streaming-about)