[UNOMI-897] Groovy data corruption and performance fixes (#720)

* UNOMI-897: Fix data corruption and performance issues in GroovyActionDispatcher

  - Fixed data corruption issue by removing shared GroovyShell instance with separate script instances for separate variables
  - Improved performance by moving to pre-compilation of scripts to avoid on-the-fly and previously systematic compilation of Groovy scripts
  - Add ScriptMetadata class for script management

* UNOMI-897: Fix data corruption and performance issues in GroovyActionDispatcher

  - Fixed data corruption issue by removing shared GroovyShell instance with separate script instances for separate variables
  - Improved performance by moving to pre-compilation of scripts to avoid on-the-fly and previously systematic compilation of Groovy scripts
  - Add ScriptMetadata class for script management

* UNOMI-897 Code cleanup

* UNOMI-897 Fix issues reported by initial code review

* UNOMI-897 Fix issues reported by code review
- Standardized API parameter naming on actionName
- Added logic to avoid logging compilation error on refreshes multiple times
- Removed the unused getOrCompileScript method

* Add new error count to prevent from logging errors all the time.
diff --git a/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/GroovyActionDispatcher.java b/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/GroovyActionDispatcher.java
index 87ed610..093a91d 100644
--- a/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/GroovyActionDispatcher.java
+++ b/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/GroovyActionDispatcher.java
@@ -16,33 +16,36 @@
  */
 package org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions;
 
-import groovy.lang.GroovyCodeSource;
-import groovy.lang.GroovyShell;
 import groovy.lang.Script;
 import org.apache.unomi.api.Event;
 import org.apache.unomi.api.actions.Action;
 import org.apache.unomi.api.actions.ActionDispatcher;
+import org.apache.unomi.api.services.DefinitionsService;
 import org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions.services.GroovyActionsService;
 import org.apache.unomi.metrics.MetricAdapter;
 import org.apache.unomi.metrics.MetricsService;
+import org.apache.unomi.services.actions.ActionExecutorDispatcher;
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.Component;
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.Reference;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 /**
- * An implementation of an ActionDispatcher for the Groovy language. This dispatcher will load the groovy action script matching to an
- * actionName. If a script if found, it will be executed.
+ * High-performance ActionDispatcher for pre-compiled Groovy scripts.
+ * Executes scripts without GroovyShell overhead using isolated instances.
  */
 @Component(service = ActionDispatcher.class)
 public class GroovyActionDispatcher implements ActionDispatcher {
 
     private static final Logger LOGGER = LoggerFactory.getLogger(GroovyActionDispatcher.class.getName());
+    private static final Logger GROOVY_ACTION_LOGGER = LoggerFactory.getLogger("GroovyAction");
 
     private static final String GROOVY_PREFIX = "groovy";
 
     private MetricsService metricsService;
     private GroovyActionsService groovyActionsService;
+    private DefinitionsService definitionsService;
+    private ActionExecutorDispatcher actionExecutorDispatcher;
 
     @Reference
     public void setMetricsService(MetricsService metricsService) {
@@ -54,30 +57,52 @@
         this.groovyActionsService = groovyActionsService;
     }
 
+    @Reference
+    public void setDefinitionsService(DefinitionsService definitionsService) {
+        this.definitionsService = definitionsService;
+    }
+
+    @Reference
+    public void setActionExecutorDispatcher(ActionExecutorDispatcher actionExecutorDispatcher) {
+        this.actionExecutorDispatcher = actionExecutorDispatcher;
+    }
+
     public String getPrefix() {
         return GROOVY_PREFIX;
     }
 
     public Integer execute(Action action, Event event, String actionName) {
-        GroovyCodeSource groovyCodeSource = groovyActionsService.getGroovyCodeSource(actionName);
-        if (groovyCodeSource == null) {
-            LOGGER.warn("Couldn't find a Groovy action with name {}, action will not execute !", actionName);
-        } else {
-            GroovyShell groovyShell = groovyActionsService.getGroovyShell();
-            groovyShell.setVariable("action", action);
-            groovyShell.setVariable("event", event);
-            Script script = groovyShell.parse(groovyCodeSource);
-            try {
-                return new MetricAdapter<Integer>(metricsService, this.getClass().getName() + ".action.groovy." + actionName) {
-                    @Override
-                    public Integer execute(Object... args) throws Exception {
-                        return (Integer) script.invokeMethod("execute", null);
-                    }
-                }.runWithTimer();
-            } catch (Exception e) {
-                LOGGER.error("Error executing Groovy action with key={}", actionName, e);
-            }
+        Class<? extends Script> scriptClass = groovyActionsService.getCompiledScript(actionName);
+        if (scriptClass == null) {
+            LOGGER.warn("Couldn't find a Groovy action with name {}, action will not execute!", actionName);
+            return 0;
+        }
+        
+        try {
+            Script script = scriptClass.getDeclaredConstructor().newInstance();
+            setScriptVariables(script, action, event);
+            
+            return new MetricAdapter<Integer>(metricsService, this.getClass().getName() + ".action.groovy." + actionName) {
+                @Override
+                public Integer execute(Object... args) throws Exception {
+                    return (Integer) script.invokeMethod("execute", null);
+                }
+            }.runWithTimer();
+            
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            LOGGER.error("Error executing Groovy action with key={}", actionName, e);
         }
         return 0;
     }
+    
+    /**
+     * Sets required variables on script instance.
+     */
+    private void setScriptVariables(Script script, Action action, Event event) {
+        script.setProperty("action", action);
+        script.setProperty("event", event);
+        script.setProperty("actionExecutorDispatcher", actionExecutorDispatcher);
+        script.setProperty("definitionsService", definitionsService);
+        script.setProperty("logger", GROOVY_ACTION_LOGGER);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/ScriptMetadata.java b/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/ScriptMetadata.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57b44e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/ScriptMetadata.java
@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions;
+
+import groovy.lang.Script;
+import java.security.MessageDigest;
+import java.security.NoSuchAlgorithmException;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.util.Base64;
+
+/**
+ * Metadata container for compiled Groovy scripts with hash-based change detection.
+ * <p>
+ * This class encapsulates all metadata associated with a compiled Groovy script,
+ * including content hash for efficient change detection and the compiled class
+ * for direct execution without recompilation.
+ * </p>
+ * 
+ * <p>
+ * Thread Safety: This class is immutable and thread-safe. All fields are final
+ * and the class provides no methods to modify its state after construction.
+ * </p>
+ * 
+ * @since 2.7.0
+ */
+public final class ScriptMetadata {
+    private final String actionName;
+    private final String scriptContent;
+    private final String contentHash;
+    private final long creationTime;
+    private final Class<? extends Script> compiledClass;
+    
+    /**
+     * Constructs a new ScriptMetadata instance.
+     * 
+     * @param actionName the unique name/identifier of the action
+     * @param scriptContent the raw Groovy script content
+     * @param compiledClass the compiled Groovy script class
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if any parameter is null
+     */
+    public ScriptMetadata(String actionName, String scriptContent, Class<? extends Script> compiledClass) {
+        if (actionName == null) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Action name cannot be null");
+        }
+        if (scriptContent == null) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Script content cannot be null");
+        }
+        if (compiledClass == null) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Compiled class cannot be null");
+        }
+        
+        this.actionName = actionName;
+        this.scriptContent = scriptContent;
+        this.contentHash = calculateHash(scriptContent);
+        this.creationTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        this.compiledClass = compiledClass;
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Calculates SHA-256 hash of the given content.
+     * 
+     * @param content the content to hash
+     * @return Base64 encoded SHA-256 hash
+     * @throws RuntimeException if SHA-256 algorithm is not available
+     */
+    private String calculateHash(String content) {
+        try {
+            MessageDigest digest = MessageDigest.getInstance("SHA-256");
+            byte[] hash = digest.digest(content.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
+            return Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString(hash);
+        } catch (NoSuchAlgorithmException e) {
+            throw new RuntimeException("SHA-256 algorithm not available", e);
+        }
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Determines if the script content has changed compared to new content.
+     * <p>
+     * This method uses SHA-256 hash comparison for efficient change detection
+     * without storing or comparing the full script content.
+     * </p>
+     * 
+     * @param newContent the new script content to compare against
+     * @return {@code true} if content has changed, {@code false} if unchanged
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if newContent is null
+     */
+    public boolean hasChanged(String newContent) {
+        if (newContent == null) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("New content cannot be null");
+        }
+        return !contentHash.equals(calculateHash(newContent));
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Returns the action name/identifier.
+     * 
+     * @return the action name, never null
+     */
+    public String getActionName() { 
+        return actionName; 
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Returns the original script content.
+     * 
+     * @return the script content, never null
+     */
+    public String getScriptContent() { 
+        return scriptContent; 
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Returns the SHA-256 hash of the script content.
+     * 
+     * @return Base64 encoded content hash, never null
+     */
+    public String getContentHash() { 
+        return contentHash; 
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Returns the timestamp when this metadata was created.
+     * 
+     * @return creation timestamp in milliseconds since epoch
+     */
+    public long getCreationTime() { 
+        return creationTime; 
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Returns the compiled Groovy script class.
+     * <p>
+     * This class can be used to create new script instances for execution
+     * without requiring recompilation.
+     * </p>
+     * 
+     * @return the compiled script class, never null
+     */
+    public Class<? extends Script> getCompiledClass() { 
+        return compiledClass; 
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/services/GroovyActionsService.java b/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/services/GroovyActionsService.java
index 4b6d545..1b4bf14 100644
--- a/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/services/GroovyActionsService.java
+++ b/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/services/GroovyActionsService.java
@@ -16,43 +16,92 @@
  */
 package org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions.services;
 
-import groovy.lang.GroovyCodeSource;
-import groovy.lang.GroovyShell;
-import groovy.util.GroovyScriptEngine;
+import groovy.lang.Script;
 import org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions.GroovyAction;
+import org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions.ScriptMetadata;
+
 
 /**
- * A service to load groovy files and manage {@link GroovyAction}
+ * Service interface for managing Groovy action scripts.
+ * <p>
+ * This service provides functionality to load, compile, cache, and execute
+ * Groovy scripts as actions within the Apache Unomi framework. It implements
+ * optimized compilation and caching strategies to achieve high performance.
+ * </p>
+ *
+ * <p>
+ * Key features:
+ * <ul>
+ *   <li>Pre-compilation of scripts at startup</li>
+ *   <li>Hash-based change detection for selective recompilation</li>
+ *   <li>Thread-safe compilation and execution</li>
+ *   <li>Unified caching architecture for compiled scripts</li>
+ * </ul>
+ * </p>
+ *
+ * <p>
+ * Thread Safety: Implementations must be thread-safe as this service
+ * is accessed concurrently during script execution.
+ * </p>
+ *
+ * @see GroovyAction
+ * @see ScriptMetadata
+ * @since 2.7.0
  */
 public interface GroovyActionsService {
 
     /**
-     * Save a groovy action from a groovy file
+     * Saves a Groovy action script with compilation and validation.
+     * <p>
+     * This method compiles the script, validates it has the required
+     * annotations, persists it, and updates the internal cache.
+     * If the script content hasn't changed, recompilation is skipped.
+     * </p>
      *
-     * @param actionName   actionName
-     * @param groovyScript script to save
+     * @param actionName   the unique identifier for the action
+     * @param groovyScript the Groovy script source code
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if actionName or groovyScript is null
+     * @throws RuntimeException if compilation or persistence fails
      */
     void save(String actionName, String groovyScript);
 
     /**
-     * Remove a groovy action
+     * Removes a Groovy action and all associated metadata.
+     * <p>
+     * This method removes the action from both the cache and persistent storage,
+     * and cleans up any registered action types in the definitions service.
+     * </p>
      *
-     * @param id of the action to remove
+     * @param actionName the unique identifier of the action to remove
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if id is null
      */
-    void remove(String id);
+    void remove(String actionName);
 
     /**
-     * Get a groovy code source object by an id
+     * Retrieves a pre-compiled script class from cache.
+     * <p>
+     * This is the preferred method for script execution as it returns
+     * pre-compiled classes without any compilation overhead. Returns
+     * {@code null} if the script is not found in the cache.
+     * </p>
      *
-     * @param id of the action to get
-     * @return Groovy code source
+     * @param actionName the unique identifier of the action
+     * @return the compiled script class, or {@code null} if not found in cache
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if id is null
      */
-    GroovyCodeSource getGroovyCodeSource(String id);
+    Class<? extends Script> getCompiledScript(String actionName);
 
     /**
-     * Get an instantiated groovy shell object
+     * Retrieves script metadata for monitoring and change detection.
+     * <p>
+     * The returned metadata includes content hash, compilation timestamp,
+     * and the compiled class reference. This is useful for monitoring
+     * tools and debugging.
+     * </p>
      *
-     * @return GroovyShell
+     * @param actionName the unique identifier of the action
+     * @return the script metadata, or {@code null} if not found
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if actionName is null
      */
-    GroovyShell getGroovyShell();
+    ScriptMetadata getScriptMetadata(String actionName);
 }
diff --git a/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/services/impl/GroovyActionsServiceImpl.java b/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/services/impl/GroovyActionsServiceImpl.java
index bee011c..3ad70b6 100644
--- a/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/services/impl/GroovyActionsServiceImpl.java
+++ b/extensions/groovy-actions/services/src/main/java/org/apache/unomi/groovy/actions/services/impl/GroovyActionsServiceImpl.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import groovy.lang.GroovyClassLoader;
 import groovy.lang.GroovyCodeSource;
 import groovy.lang.GroovyShell;
+import groovy.lang.Script;
 import groovy.util.GroovyScriptEngine;
 import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
 import org.apache.unomi.api.Metadata;
@@ -27,10 +28,10 @@
 import org.apache.unomi.api.services.SchedulerService;
 import org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions.GroovyAction;
 import org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions.GroovyBundleResourceConnector;
+import org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions.ScriptMetadata;
 import org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions.annotations.Action;
 import org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions.services.GroovyActionsService;
 import org.apache.unomi.persistence.spi.PersistenceService;
-import org.apache.unomi.services.actions.ActionExecutorDispatcher;
 import org.codehaus.groovy.control.CompilerConfiguration;
 import org.codehaus.groovy.control.customizers.ImportCustomizer;
 import org.osgi.framework.BundleContext;
@@ -43,10 +44,13 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.URL;
-import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
 import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.Set;
+
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.TimerTask;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
 import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledFuture;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
@@ -55,7 +59,8 @@
 import static java.util.Arrays.asList;
 
 /**
- * Implementation of the GroovyActionService. Allows to create a groovy action from a groovy file
+ * High-performance GroovyActionsService implementation with pre-compilation,
+ * hash-based change detection, and thread-safe execution.
  */
 @Component(service = GroovyActionsService.class, configurationPid = "org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions")
 @Designate(ocd = GroovyActionsServiceImpl.GroovyActionsServiceConfig.class)
@@ -68,17 +73,21 @@
 
     private BundleContext bundleContext;
     private GroovyScriptEngine groovyScriptEngine;
-    private GroovyShell groovyShell;
-    private Map<String, GroovyCodeSource> groovyCodeSourceMap;
+    private CompilerConfiguration compilerConfiguration;
     private ScheduledFuture<?> scheduledFuture;
 
+    private final Object compilationLock = new Object();
+    private GroovyShell compilationShell;
+    private volatile Map<String, ScriptMetadata> scriptMetadataCache = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+    private final Map<String, Set<String>> loggedRefreshErrors = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+    private static final int MAX_LOGGED_ERRORS = 100; // Prevent memory leak
+
     private static final Logger LOGGER = LoggerFactory.getLogger(GroovyActionsServiceImpl.class.getName());
     private static final String BASE_SCRIPT_NAME = "BaseScript";
 
     private DefinitionsService definitionsService;
     private PersistenceService persistenceService;
     private SchedulerService schedulerService;
-    private ActionExecutorDispatcher actionExecutorDispatcher;
     private GroovyActionsServiceConfig config;
 
     @Reference
@@ -96,14 +105,7 @@
         this.schedulerService = schedulerService;
     }
 
-    @Reference
-    public void setActionExecutorDispatcher(ActionExecutorDispatcher actionExecutorDispatcher) {
-        this.actionExecutorDispatcher = actionExecutorDispatcher;
-    }
 
-    public GroovyShell getGroovyShell() {
-        return groovyShell;
-    }
 
     @Activate
     public void start(GroovyActionsServiceConfig config, BundleContext bundleContext) {
@@ -111,20 +113,25 @@
 
         this.config = config;
         this.bundleContext = bundleContext;
-        this.groovyCodeSourceMap = new HashMap<>();
 
         GroovyBundleResourceConnector bundleResourceConnector = new GroovyBundleResourceConnector(bundleContext);
         GroovyClassLoader groovyLoader = new GroovyClassLoader(bundleContext.getBundle().adapt(BundleWiring.class).getClassLoader());
         this.groovyScriptEngine = new GroovyScriptEngine(bundleResourceConnector, groovyLoader);
 
-        initializeGroovyShell();
+        // Initialize Groovy compiler and compilation shell
+        initializeGroovyCompiler();
+
         try {
             loadBaseScript();
         } catch (IOException e) {
             LOGGER.error("Failed to load base script", e);
         }
+
+        // PRE-COMPILE ALL SCRIPTS AT STARTUP (no on-demand compilation)
+        preloadAllScripts();
+
         initializeTimers();
-        LOGGER.info("Groovy action service initialized.");
+        LOGGER.info("Groovy action service initialized with {} scripts", scriptMetadataCache.size());
     }
 
     @Deactivate
@@ -140,7 +147,7 @@
      * It's a script which provides utility functions that we can use in other groovy script
      * The functions added by the base script could be called by the groovy actions executed in
      * {@link org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions.GroovyActionDispatcher#execute}
-     * The base script would be added in the configuration of the {@link GroovyActionsServiceImpl#groovyShell GroovyShell} , so when a
+     * The base script would be added in the configuration of the {@link GroovyActionsServiceImpl#compilationShell GroovyShell} , so when a
      * script will be parsed with the GroovyShell (groovyShell.parse(...)), the action will extends the base script, so the functions
      * could be called
      *
@@ -152,25 +159,77 @@
             return;
         }
         LOGGER.debug("Found Groovy base script at {}, loading... ", groovyBaseScriptURL.getPath());
-        GroovyCodeSource groovyCodeSource = new GroovyCodeSource(IOUtils.toString(groovyBaseScriptURL.openStream()), BASE_SCRIPT_NAME, "/groovy/script");
+        GroovyCodeSource groovyCodeSource = new GroovyCodeSource(IOUtils.toString(groovyBaseScriptURL.openStream(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8), BASE_SCRIPT_NAME, "/groovy/script");
         groovyScriptEngine.getGroovyClassLoader().parseClass(groovyCodeSource, true);
     }
 
     /**
-     * Initialize the groovyShell object and define the configuration which contains the name of the base script
+     * Initializes compiler configuration and shared compilation shell.
      */
-    private void initializeGroovyShell() {
-        CompilerConfiguration compilerConfiguration = new CompilerConfiguration();
+    private void initializeGroovyCompiler() {
+        // Configure the compiler with imports and base script
+        compilerConfiguration = new CompilerConfiguration();
         compilerConfiguration.addCompilationCustomizers(createImportCustomizer());
-
         compilerConfiguration.setScriptBaseClass(BASE_SCRIPT_NAME);
         groovyScriptEngine.setConfig(compilerConfiguration);
-        groovyShell = new GroovyShell(groovyScriptEngine.getGroovyClassLoader(), compilerConfiguration);
-        groovyShell.setVariable("actionExecutorDispatcher", actionExecutorDispatcher);
-        groovyShell.setVariable("definitionsService", definitionsService);
-        groovyShell.setVariable("logger", LoggerFactory.getLogger("GroovyAction"));
+
+        // Create single shared shell for compilation only
+        this.compilationShell = new GroovyShell(groovyScriptEngine.getGroovyClassLoader(), compilerConfiguration);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Pre-compiles all scripts at startup to eliminate runtime compilation overhead.
+     */
+    private void preloadAllScripts() {
+        long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        LOGGER.info("Pre-compiling all Groovy scripts at startup...");
+
+        int successCount = 0;
+        int failureCount = 0;
+        long totalCompilationTime = 0;
+
+        for (GroovyAction groovyAction : persistenceService.getAllItems(GroovyAction.class)) {
+            try {
+                String actionName = groovyAction.getName();
+                String scriptContent = groovyAction.getScript();
+
+                long scriptStartTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+                ScriptMetadata metadata = compileAndCreateMetadata(actionName, scriptContent);
+                long scriptCompilationTime = System.currentTimeMillis() - scriptStartTime;
+                totalCompilationTime += scriptCompilationTime;
+
+                scriptMetadataCache.put(actionName, metadata);
+
+                successCount++;
+                LOGGER.debug("Pre-compiled script: {} ({}ms)", actionName, scriptCompilationTime);
+
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                failureCount++;
+                LOGGER.error("Failed to pre-compile script: {}", groovyAction.getName(), e);
+            }
+        }
+
+        long totalTime = System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime;
+        LOGGER.info("Pre-compilation completed: {} scripts successfully compiled, {} failures. Total time: {}ms",
+                successCount, failureCount, totalTime);
+        LOGGER.debug("Pre-compilation metrics: Average per script: {}ms, Compilation overhead: {}ms",
+                successCount > 0 ? totalCompilationTime / successCount : 0,
+                totalTime - totalCompilationTime);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Thread-safe script compilation using synchronized shared shell.
+     */
+    private Class<? extends Script> compileScript(String actionName, String scriptContent) {
+        GroovyCodeSource codeSource = buildClassScript(scriptContent, actionName);
+        synchronized(compilationLock) {
+            return compilationShell.parse(codeSource).getClass();
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates import customizer with standard Unomi imports.
+     */
     private ImportCustomizer createImportCustomizer() {
         ImportCustomizer importCustomizer = new ImportCustomizer();
         importCustomizer.addImports("org.apache.unomi.api.services.EventService", "org.apache.unomi.groovy.actions.annotations.Action",
@@ -178,25 +237,88 @@
         return importCustomizer;
     }
 
-    @Override
-    public void save(String actionName, String groovyScript) {
-        GroovyCodeSource groovyCodeSource = buildClassScript(groovyScript, actionName);
-        try {
-            saveActionType(groovyShell.parse(groovyCodeSource).getClass().getMethod("execute").getAnnotation(Action.class));
-            saveScript(actionName, groovyScript);
-            LOGGER.info("The script {} has been loaded.", actionName);
-        } catch (NoSuchMethodException e) {
-            LOGGER.error("Failed to save the script {}", actionName, e);
+    /**
+     * Validates that a string parameter is not null or empty.
+     */
+    private void validateNotEmpty(String value, String parameterName) {
+        if (value == null || value.trim().isEmpty()) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException(parameterName + " cannot be null or empty");
         }
     }
 
     /**
-     * Build an action type from the annotation {@link Action}
-     *
-     * @param action Annotation containing the values to save
+     * Compiles a script and creates metadata with timing information.
+     */
+    private ScriptMetadata compileAndCreateMetadata(String actionName, String scriptContent) {
+        long compilationStartTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        Class<? extends Script> scriptClass = compileScript(actionName, scriptContent);
+        long compilationTime = System.currentTimeMillis() - compilationStartTime;
+
+        LOGGER.debug("Script {} compiled in {}ms", actionName, compilationTime);
+        return new ScriptMetadata(actionName, scriptContent, scriptClass);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Extracts Action annotation from script class if present.
+     */
+    private Action getActionAnnotation(Class<? extends Script> scriptClass) {
+        try {
+            return scriptClass.getMethod("execute").getAnnotation(Action.class);
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            LOGGER.error("Failed to extract action annotation", e);
+            return null;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * {@inheritDoc}
+     * Implementation performs hash-based change detection to skip unnecessary recompilation.
+     */
+    @Override
+    public void save(String actionName, String groovyScript) {
+        validateNotEmpty(actionName, "Action name");
+        validateNotEmpty(groovyScript, "Groovy script");
+
+        long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        LOGGER.info("Saving script: {}", actionName);
+
+        try {
+            ScriptMetadata existingMetadata = scriptMetadataCache.get(actionName);
+            if (existingMetadata != null && !existingMetadata.hasChanged(groovyScript)) {
+                LOGGER.info("Script {} unchanged, skipping recompilation ({}ms)", actionName,
+                    System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime);
+                return;
+            }
+
+            long compilationStartTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+            ScriptMetadata metadata = compileAndCreateMetadata(actionName, groovyScript);
+            long compilationTime = System.currentTimeMillis() - compilationStartTime;
+
+            Action actionAnnotation = getActionAnnotation(metadata.getCompiledClass());
+            if (actionAnnotation != null) {
+                saveActionType(actionAnnotation);
+            }
+
+            saveScript(actionName, groovyScript);
+
+            scriptMetadataCache.put(actionName, metadata);
+
+            long totalTime = System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime;
+            LOGGER.info("Script {} saved and compiled successfully (total: {}ms, compilation: {}ms)",
+                actionName, totalTime, compilationTime);
+
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            long totalTime = System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime;
+            LOGGER.error("Failed to save script: {} ({}ms)", actionName, totalTime, e);
+            throw new RuntimeException("Failed to save script: " + actionName, e);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Builds and registers ActionType from Action annotation.
      */
     private void saveActionType(Action action) {
-        Metadata metadata = new Metadata(null, action.id(), action.name().equals("") ? action.id() : action.name(), action.description());
+        Metadata metadata = new Metadata(null, action.id(), action.name().isEmpty() ? action.id() : action.name(), action.description());
         metadata.setHidden(action.hidden());
         metadata.setReadOnly(true);
         metadata.setSystemTags(new HashSet<>(asList(action.systemTags())));
@@ -209,48 +331,170 @@
         definitionsService.setActionType(actionType);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * {@inheritDoc}
+     */
     @Override
-    public void remove(String id) {
-        if (groovyCodeSourceMap.containsKey(id)) {
-            try {
-                definitionsService.removeActionType(
-                        groovyShell.parse(groovyCodeSourceMap.get(id)).getClass().getMethod("execute").getAnnotation(Action.class).id());
-            } catch (NoSuchMethodException e) {
-                LOGGER.error("Failed to delete the action type for the id {}", id, e);
-            }
-            persistenceService.remove(id, GroovyAction.class);
-        }
-    }
+    public void remove(String actionName) {
+        validateNotEmpty(actionName, "Action name");
 
-    @Override
-    public GroovyCodeSource getGroovyCodeSource(String id) {
-        return groovyCodeSourceMap.get(id);
+        LOGGER.info("Removing script: {}", actionName);
+
+        ScriptMetadata removedMetadata = scriptMetadataCache.remove(actionName);
+        persistenceService.remove(actionName, GroovyAction.class);
+        
+        // Clean up error tracking to prevent memory leak
+        loggedRefreshErrors.remove(actionName);
+
+        if (removedMetadata != null) {
+            Action actionAnnotation = getActionAnnotation(removedMetadata.getCompiledClass());
+            if (actionAnnotation != null) {
+                definitionsService.removeActionType(actionAnnotation.id());
+            }
+        }
+
+        LOGGER.info("Script {} removed successfully", actionName);
     }
 
     /**
-     * Build a GroovyCodeSource object and add it to the class loader of the groovyScriptEngine
-     *
-     * @param groovyScript groovy script as a string
-     * @param actionName   Name of the action
-     * @return Built GroovyCodeSource
+     * {@inheritDoc}
+     */
+    @Override
+    public Class<? extends Script> getCompiledScript(String id) {
+        validateNotEmpty(id, "Script ID");
+
+        ScriptMetadata metadata = scriptMetadataCache.get(id);
+        if (metadata == null) {
+            LOGGER.warn("Script {} not found in cache", id);
+            return null;
+        }
+        return metadata.getCompiledClass();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * {@inheritDoc}
+     */
+    @Override
+    public ScriptMetadata getScriptMetadata(String actionName) {
+        validateNotEmpty(actionName, "Action name");
+
+        return scriptMetadataCache.get(actionName);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates GroovyCodeSource for compilation.
      */
     private GroovyCodeSource buildClassScript(String groovyScript, String actionName) {
         return new GroovyCodeSource(groovyScript, actionName, "/groovy/script");
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Persists script to storage.
+     */
     private void saveScript(String actionName, String script) {
         GroovyAction groovyScript = new GroovyAction(actionName, script);
         persistenceService.save(groovyScript);
         LOGGER.info("The script {} has been persisted.", actionName);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Refreshes scripts from persistence with selective recompilation.
+     * Uses hash-based change detection and atomic cache updates.
+     */
     private void refreshGroovyActions() {
-        Map<String, GroovyCodeSource> refreshedGroovyCodeSourceMap = new HashMap<>();
-        persistenceService.getAllItems(GroovyAction.class).forEach(groovyAction -> refreshedGroovyCodeSourceMap
-                .put(groovyAction.getName(), buildClassScript(groovyAction.getScript(), groovyAction.getName())));
-        groovyCodeSourceMap = refreshedGroovyCodeSourceMap;
+        long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+
+        Map<String, ScriptMetadata> newMetadataCache = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+        int unchangedCount = 0;
+        int recompiledCount = 0;
+        int errorCount = 0;
+        int newErrorCount = 0;
+        long totalCompilationTime = 0;
+
+        for (GroovyAction groovyAction : persistenceService.getAllItems(GroovyAction.class)) {
+            String actionName = groovyAction.getName();
+            String scriptContent = groovyAction.getScript();
+
+            try {
+                ScriptMetadata existingMetadata = scriptMetadataCache.get(actionName);
+                if (existingMetadata != null && !existingMetadata.hasChanged(scriptContent)) {
+                    newMetadataCache.put(actionName, existingMetadata);
+                    unchangedCount++;
+                    LOGGER.debug("Script {} unchanged during refresh, keeping cached version", actionName);
+                } else {
+                    if (recompiledCount == 0) {
+                        LOGGER.info("Refreshing scripts from persistence layer...");
+                    }
+
+                    long compilationStartTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+                    ScriptMetadata metadata = compileAndCreateMetadata(actionName, scriptContent);
+                    long compilationTime = System.currentTimeMillis() - compilationStartTime;
+                    totalCompilationTime += compilationTime;
+
+                    // Clear error tracking on successful compilation
+                    loggedRefreshErrors.remove(actionName);
+
+                    newMetadataCache.put(actionName, metadata);
+                    recompiledCount++;
+                    LOGGER.info("Script {} recompiled during refresh ({}ms)", actionName, compilationTime);
+                }
+
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                if (newErrorCount == 0 && recompiledCount == 0) {
+                    LOGGER.info("Refreshing scripts from persistence layer...");
+                }
+
+                errorCount++;
+                
+                // Prevent log spam for repeated compilation errors during refresh
+                String errorMessage = e.getMessage();
+                Set<String> scriptErrors = loggedRefreshErrors.get(actionName);
+                
+                if (scriptErrors == null || !scriptErrors.contains(errorMessage)) {
+                    newErrorCount++;
+                    LOGGER.error("Failed to refresh script: {}", actionName, e);
+                    
+                    // Prevent memory leak by limiting tracked errors before adding new entries
+                    if (scriptErrors == null && loggedRefreshErrors.size() >= MAX_LOGGED_ERRORS) {
+                        // Remove one random entry to make space (simple eviction)
+                        String firstKey = loggedRefreshErrors.keySet().iterator().next();
+                        loggedRefreshErrors.remove(firstKey);
+                    }
+                    
+                    // Now safely add the error
+                    if (scriptErrors == null) {
+                        scriptErrors = ConcurrentHashMap.newKeySet();
+                        loggedRefreshErrors.put(actionName, scriptErrors);
+                    }
+                    scriptErrors.add(errorMessage);
+                    
+                    LOGGER.warn("Keeping existing version of script {} due to compilation error", actionName);
+                }
+
+                ScriptMetadata existingMetadata = scriptMetadataCache.get(actionName);
+                if (existingMetadata != null) {
+                    newMetadataCache.put(actionName, existingMetadata);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        this.scriptMetadataCache = newMetadataCache;
+
+        if (recompiledCount > 0 || newErrorCount > 0) {
+            long totalTime = System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime;
+            LOGGER.info("Script refresh completed: {} unchanged, {} recompiled, {} errors. Total time: {}ms",
+                    unchangedCount, recompiledCount, errorCount, totalTime);
+            LOGGER.debug("Refresh metrics: Recompilation time: {}ms, Cache update overhead: {}ms",
+                    totalCompilationTime, totalTime - totalCompilationTime);
+        } else {
+            LOGGER.debug("Script refresh completed: {} scripts checked, no changes detected ({}ms)",
+                    unchangedCount, System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime);
+        }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Initializes periodic script refresh timer.
+     */
     private void initializeTimers() {
         TimerTask task = new TimerTask() {
             @Override
diff --git a/itests/src/test/java/org/apache/unomi/itests/GroovyActionsServiceIT.java b/itests/src/test/java/org/apache/unomi/itests/GroovyActionsServiceIT.java
index 85d7d33..5af563e 100644
--- a/itests/src/test/java/org/apache/unomi/itests/GroovyActionsServiceIT.java
+++ b/itests/src/test/java/org/apache/unomi/itests/GroovyActionsServiceIT.java
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 
 package org.apache.unomi.itests;
 
-import groovy.lang.GroovyCodeSource;
+import groovy.lang.Script;
 import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
 import org.apache.unomi.api.Event;
 import org.apache.unomi.api.Profile;
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@
         groovyActionsService.save(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION, loadGroovyAction(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION_GROOVY_FILE));
 
         keepTrying("Failed waiting for the creation of the GroovyAction for the trigger action test",
-                () -> groovyActionsService.getGroovyCodeSource(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION), Objects::nonNull, DEFAULT_TRYING_TIMEOUT, DEFAULT_TRYING_TRIES);
+                () -> groovyActionsService.getCompiledScript(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION), Objects::nonNull, DEFAULT_TRYING_TIMEOUT, DEFAULT_TRYING_TRIES);
 
         ActionType actionType = keepTrying("Failed waiting for the creation of the GroovyAction for trigger action test",
                 () -> definitionsService.getActionType(UPDATE_ADDRESS_GROOVY_ACTION), Objects::nonNull, DEFAULT_TRYING_TIMEOUT, DEFAULT_TRYING_TRIES);
@@ -114,10 +114,10 @@
         ActionType actionType = keepTrying("Failed waiting for the creation of the GroovyAction for the save test",
                 () -> definitionsService.getActionType(UPDATE_ADDRESS_GROOVY_ACTION), Objects::nonNull, DEFAULT_TRYING_TIMEOUT, DEFAULT_TRYING_TRIES);
 
-        GroovyCodeSource groovyCodeSource = keepTrying("Failed waiting for the creation of the GroovyAction for the save test",
-                () -> groovyActionsService.getGroovyCodeSource(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION), Objects::nonNull, DEFAULT_TRYING_TIMEOUT, DEFAULT_TRYING_TRIES);
+        Class<? extends Script> compiledScript = keepTrying("Failed waiting for the creation of the GroovyAction for the save test",
+                () -> groovyActionsService.getCompiledScript(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION), Objects::nonNull, DEFAULT_TRYING_TIMEOUT, DEFAULT_TRYING_TRIES);
 
-        Assert.assertEquals(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION, groovyActionsService.getGroovyCodeSource(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION).getName());
+        Assert.assertEquals(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION, compiledScript.getSimpleName());
 
         Assert.assertTrue(actionType.getMetadata().getId().contains(UPDATE_ADDRESS_GROOVY_ACTION));
         Assert.assertEquals(2, actionType.getMetadata().getSystemTags().size());
@@ -133,14 +133,14 @@
     public void testGroovyActionsService_removeGroovyAction() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
         groovyActionsService.save(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION, loadGroovyAction(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION_GROOVY_FILE));
 
-        GroovyCodeSource groovyCodeSource = keepTrying("Failed waiting for the creation of the GroovyAction for the remove test",
-                () -> groovyActionsService.getGroovyCodeSource(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION), Objects::nonNull, DEFAULT_TRYING_TIMEOUT, DEFAULT_TRYING_TRIES);
+        Class<? extends Script> compiledScript = keepTrying("Failed waiting for the creation of the GroovyAction for the remove test",
+                () -> groovyActionsService.getCompiledScript(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION), Objects::nonNull, DEFAULT_TRYING_TIMEOUT, DEFAULT_TRYING_TRIES);
 
-        Assert.assertNotNull(groovyCodeSource);
+        Assert.assertNotNull(compiledScript);
 
         groovyActionsService.remove(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION);
 
-        waitForNullValue("Groovy action is still present", () -> groovyActionsService.getGroovyCodeSource(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION),
+        waitForNullValue("Groovy action is still present", () -> groovyActionsService.getCompiledScript(UPDATE_ADDRESS_ACTION),
                 DEFAULT_TRYING_TIMEOUT, DEFAULT_TRYING_TRIES);
 
         waitForNullValue("Action type is still present", () -> definitionsService.getActionType(UPDATE_ADDRESS_GROOVY_ACTION),