diff --git a/src/main/java/com/cloudius/urchin/api/APIClient.java b/src/main/java/com/cloudius/urchin/api/APIClient.java
index 1cab7d3..e2d6ecd 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/cloudius/urchin/api/APIClient.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/cloudius/urchin/api/APIClient.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import javax.json.JsonReaderFactory;
 import javax.json.JsonString;
 import javax.management.openmbean.TabularData;
 import javax.management.openmbean.TabularDataSupport;
+import javax.ws.rs.core.MediaType;
 import javax.ws.rs.core.MultivaluedMap;
 import javax.ws.rs.core.UriBuilder;
 
@@ -33,9 +34,29 @@ import com.sun.jersey.api.client.config.ClientConfig;
 import com.sun.jersey.api.client.config.DefaultClientConfig;
 import com.yammer.metrics.core.HistogramValues;
 
-import javax.ws.rs.core.MediaType;
-
 public class APIClient {
+    Map<String, CacheEntry> cache = new HashMap<String, CacheEntry>();
+    String getCacheKey(String key, MultivaluedMap<String, String> param, long duration) {
+        if (duration <= 0) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        if (param != null) {
+            StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(key);
+            sb.append("?");
+            for (String k : param.keySet()) {
+                sb.append(k).append('=').append(param.get(k)).append('&');
+            }
+            return sb.toString();
+        }
+        return key;
+    }
+    String getFromCache(String key, long duration) {
+        if (key == null) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        CacheEntry value = cache.get(key);
+        return (value!= null && value.valid(duration))? value.value : null;
+    }
     JsonReaderFactory factory = Json.createReaderFactory(null);
     private static final java.util.logging.Logger logger = java.util.logging.Logger
             .getLogger(APIClient.class.getName());
@@ -105,15 +126,34 @@ public class APIClient {
     }
 
     public String getRawValue(String string,
-            MultivaluedMap<String, String> queryParams) {
-        if (!string.equals("")) {
-            return get(string, queryParams).get(String.class);
+            MultivaluedMap<String, String> queryParams, long duration) {
+        if (string.equals("")) {
+            return "";
         }
-        return "";
+        String key = getCacheKey(string, queryParams, duration);
+        String res = getFromCache(key, duration);
+        if (res != null) {
+            return res;
+        }
+
+        res = get(string, queryParams).get(String.class);
+        if (duration > 0) {
+            cache.put(key, new CacheEntry(res));
+        }
+        return res;
+    }
+
+    public String getRawValue(String string,
+            MultivaluedMap<String, String> queryParams) {
+        return getRawValue(string, queryParams, 0);
+    }
+
+    public String getRawValue(String string, long duration) {
+        return getRawValue(string, null, duration);
     }
 
     public String getRawValue(String string) {
-        return getRawValue(string, null);
+        return getRawValue(string, null, 0);
     }
 
     public String getStringValue(String string, MultivaluedMap<String, String> queryParams) {
@@ -121,6 +161,11 @@ public class APIClient {
                 queryParams).replaceAll("^\"|\"$", "");
     }
 
+    public String getStringValue(String string, MultivaluedMap<String, String> queryParams, long duration) {
+        return getRawValue(string,
+                queryParams, duration).replaceAll("^\"|\"$", "");
+    }
+
     public String getStringValue(String string) {
         return getStringValue(string, null);
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/cloudius/urchin/api/CacheEntry.java b/src/main/java/com/cloudius/urchin/api/CacheEntry.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e89b834
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/com/cloudius/urchin/api/CacheEntry.java
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Cloudius Systems
+ */
+
+package com.cloudius.urchin.api;
+
+public class CacheEntry {
+    long time;
+    public String value;
+
+    CacheEntry(String value) {
+        time = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        this.value = value;
+    }
+
+    public boolean valid(long duration) {
+        return (System.currentTimeMillis() - time) < duration;
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/cassandra/locator/EndpointSnitchInfo.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/cassandra/locator/EndpointSnitchInfo.java
index b34250e..b199c46 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/cassandra/locator/EndpointSnitchInfo.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/cassandra/locator/EndpointSnitchInfo.java
@@ -57,10 +57,11 @@ public class EndpointSnitchInfo implements EndpointSnitchInfoMBean {
     /**
      * Provides the Rack name depending on the respective snitch used, given the
      * host name/ip
-     * 
+     *
      * @param host
      * @throws UnknownHostException
      */
+    @Override
     public String getRack(String host) throws UnknownHostException {
         log("getRack(String host) throws UnknownHostException");
         MultivaluedMap<String, String> queryParams = new MultivaluedMapImpl();
@@ -68,16 +69,17 @@ public class EndpointSnitchInfo implements EndpointSnitchInfoMBean {
             host = InetAddress.getLoopbackAddress().getHostAddress();
         }
         queryParams.add("host", host);
-        return c.getStringValue("/snitch/rack", queryParams);
+        return c.getStringValue("/snitch/rack", queryParams, 10000);
     }
 
     /**
      * Provides the Datacenter name depending on the respective snitch used,
      * given the hostname/ip
-     * 
+     *
      * @param host
      * @throws UnknownHostException
      */
+    @Override
     public String getDatacenter(String host) throws UnknownHostException {
         log(" getDatacenter(String host) throws UnknownHostException");
         MultivaluedMap<String, String> queryParams = new MultivaluedMapImpl();
@@ -85,14 +87,15 @@ public class EndpointSnitchInfo implements EndpointSnitchInfoMBean {
             host = InetAddress.getLoopbackAddress().getHostAddress();
         }
         queryParams.add("host", host);
-        return c.getStringValue("/snitch/datacenter", queryParams);
+        return c.getStringValue("/snitch/datacenter", queryParams, 10000);
     }
 
     /**
      * Provides the snitch name of the cluster
-     * 
+     *
      * @return Snitch name
      */
+    @Override
     public String getSnitchName() {
         log(" getSnitchName()");
         return c.getStringValue("/snitch/name");