If you have built a web site or two you have probably heard of “web cache” technology. Even you haven’t, you’ve probably seen the “cache” settings in your favorite web browser.
While web caching is not hard to understand and implement, it is often misunderstood. Some site owners dislike a cache since they think it will serve “old” content to visitors. Others think that caching can distort site statistics since visitors getting cached content aren’t making requests all the way into the primary server in some cases. Web surfers may think they are getting stale or old content as well.
As with any technology, understanding brings happiness. I came across a great web cache tutorial and recommend it highly: “Caching Tutorial for Web Authors“ by Mark Nottingham. Read it to learn how you can control the way your web site uses cache technology.
The Sensible Leader 