Is Your Web Site Cache Friendly?
By Brian D. Davison
With the continued growth in Net usage, Web caching is becoming increasingly important. In this article I'll discuss Web caching and its importance in site design to minimize costs and maximize scalability and compatibility. Before closing, I'll describe some ideas that may improve Web caching in the near future. First, a quick review of Web caching.
The simplest form of caching is just like using an address book that you keep close at hand. By keeping often-used information nearby, you can save time. While you can always find a phone number in a phone book, it's slower and may require you to get the phone book from across the room. Web caching works similarly—a Web cache stores resources that are expected to be requested again.
Web caching is useful for three important reasons: It can reduce user-perceived Web-site delays, reduce network bandwidth usage, and reduce server loads. Caching makes the Web appear faster and cost less by better utilizing existing resources.
Benefits of Web Caching
When a request is satisfied by a cache (whether it's a browser cache, or a proxy cache run by your organization or ISP), the content no longer has to travel across the Internet from the origin Web server to you, saving bandwidth for both the client or ISP as well as the origin site. Instead of taking the time to establish new connections with each origin server for each resource needed, the client can retain its connection to the proxy. This is particularly beneficial to clients behind high-latency connections like modems or satellites.
