# Adapters

First of all: what is an adapter?

**Adapter is** a bridge between cache instance and storage it (adapter) uses.

{% hint style="info" %}
**stash-it** doesn't come with any adapter built in, you need to provide one.
{% endhint %}

For example: **stash-it-adapter-memory** provides access to memory, in which data is stored; **stash-it-adapter-mongo** provides access to mongo DB, etc.

Adapter provides API for IO operations on given storage. **APIs of all adapters are, by design, the same**. Therefore you can switch your adapter, and the API will stay consistent.