As bandwidth and data storage needs continue to grow at an unprecedented rate, website performance is under vast scrutiny like never before.
As a result, caching has emerged as a vital tool in the world of website development and design.
At its most fundamental, caching is used as a method of storing copies of files, web pages, or parts of web pages in order to speed up access to data and lower resource demand on the enterprise’s servers. You know, the memory and CPU of the server, or cloud resource allocated to the property.
With that now understood, lets use the remainder of this Covering the Bases blog entry to discover the most important types of caching used to accelerate the website experience.
BROWSER CACHING
Browser caching is one of the most commonly used types of caching. It involves storing website data directly on the users’ browsers. This method is efficient as it eliminates the need to send multiple requests to the server.
When a user visits a webpage for the first time, the website elements (like images, HTML, CSS) are stored on the local device.
On subsequent visits, the browser loads the webpage from this locally stored cache instead of sending requests to the server. This significantly reduces page load times and lowers server stress.
PAGE CACHING
Page caching is a process that stores the entire HTML of a webpage. Once a user accesses the webpage, the server generates the page HTML and stores it.
When other users request the same page, the server serves the stored (cached) HTML instead of regenerating it.
This caches dynamic content as static HTML files, thereby reducing processing time and server load, making the webpage load faster for users. Many sites leverage page caching to enhance their performance.
CDN CACHING
In content delivery network (CDN) caching, a network of geographically distributed servers stores copies of static and dynamic data.
When a user requests a webpage, the request is routed to the nearest server in the network (the edge server). This shortens the distance between the user and the server, reducing latency and improving load speeds.
Large websites with a global audience, such as Netflix, utilise CDN caching to provide high-quality streaming services.
DATABASE CACHING
A database is a crucial element that may significantly influence a website’s speed. Database caching involves storing the results of a query (request for data).
So, whenever the server receives the same request, it won’t have to query the database again; it’ll simply provide the cached results, reducing the response time significantly.
Database caching is often vital for data-intensive applications like e-commerce websites.
OBJECT CACHING
Unlike page caching, which saves all the HTML content of a page, object caching stores the data generated by database queries. This reduces the server load by skipping the process of querying the database every time the same data is requested.
Large, content-based websites often use object caching to store data of complex queries, enhancing the page load speed.
HTTP CACHING
HTTP caching refers to the storing of HTTP response messages. By doing this, when a server receives identical HTTP requests from a browser, it responds quickly by providing the cached response instead of interacting with the requester directly.
This reduces bandwidth usage and improves server performance.
OPCODE CACHING
PHP is a scripting language often used in website development. Each time a PHP script is executed, it compiles into bytecode (opcode).
Opcode caching works by storing this compiled bytecode, so any time the script is requested, it doesn’t need to be compiled again. It considerably increases performance for websites that heavily rely on PHP scripts.
EDGE CACHING
Edge caching is specifically designed for websites with a high volume of traffic. It involves storing content in edge servers located closer to the users, thus enabling them to receive data without having it sent from the original source. It reduces data travel time and increases speed, especially benefitting websites with geographically dispersed audience.
By adopting the right caching techniques, it is possible to improve your website’s performance significantly, enhance user experience, and reduce load on your servers.
Depending on the complexity, volume of your data, and audience distribution, you can determine the type of caching that works best for your site.