Techniques are described for managing cached data in a network environment. In one example, the techniques include receiving a client request for a data group, determining that a cached copy of the requested data group that is stored in the persistent cache storage is no longer valid relative to a current copy of the data group stored at a remote data source system, obtaining from the remote data source system information about differences between the cached copy and the current copy and instructions associated with the identified differences, modifying, by the configured server computing system, the cached copy to include the identified differences in accordance with the received instructions, and providing, by the configured server computing system, the modified cached copy of the requested data group to the client in response to the client request.