What is Caching and How it Works

Caching is a very commonly used term in our internet browsing sessions. But what is this catching and what do they actually do? 

A lot of people are confused between caches vs cookies. Both are integral components of web browsing, yet they are used to serve different purposes.

In this article, we will clarify the concept of Cache and how it works.

What is cache ?

A cache is a hardware or software that temporarily stores copies of statics resources like HTML files, CSS stylesheets, JavaScript files, and media files such as logos, images, and videos. The cache is used to decrease the webpage loading time.

It is a one-way relationship, which indicates the stored file in the cache doesn’t go back to the original server.

Different types of cache :

Now, let’s understand the most common types of Cache.

• Browser Cache: 

Browser cache is used to store the static components such as CSS stylesheets, JavaScript files, and media files of recently used web pages to improve the website’s pagespeed performance.

• Proxy server Cache:

A proxy server cache is used to store the static website component’s information in the proxy server to decrease the latency. These static components can be HTML files, CSS stylesheets, JavaScript files, and media files. 

When a user requests web pages or files, the proxy server can provide the cache version instead of fetching it from the server, which may increase the speed of the website. It is also known as Content Delivery Network (CDN) caching.

How does cache work ?

Every time a user visits a website, the browser needs to download a lot of content of the webpage from the original server in order to display that web page. If the distance between the user and the server is large then, it will increase the page loading time.

By using cache you can reduce this problem. Cache stores the static resources such as HTML files, CSS stylesheets, JavaScript files, and media files like logos, images, and videos in a proxy server that is nearest to the user.

When a user requests content from a website, the request will arrive at the nearest proxy server of the user.

• If that requested content is not present at the proxy server, the browser will retrieve that requested content from the original server. This is also known as “Cache Miss”.
• In the proxy server, If the requested content is present, then it can fulfill the request of the user. This is known as a “Cache Hit”.

What is the cache hit ratio ?

A cache hit ratio is the measurement of cache hits by comparing how many total content requests were received by the users.

Let’s understand with an example. If a cache hit ratio is 75%, that means 75% of the requested content is served from the cache, and the remaining 25% must be retrieved from the original server. From here also we can calculate the cache miss ratio. In this example, the cache miss ratio is 25%.

Importance of cache :

Cache plays a vital role by storing the frequently accessed data in the local storage. The cache will make things very quick. You need to enable caching on your website for several reasons. 

• Better Performance: The advantage of using caching is that it will enhance your website performance by storing the static component in your browser. So, your website needs to download the web page content once. The next time it will download the data from the Cache.
• Network efficiency:  Cache helps to decrease the number of “trips” required to request and deliver the content. This impact may reduce the need for infrastructure deployment duplication, indicating a considerable cost saving and an economic advantage for the whole network ecosystem.   
• Reduce Database cost:  A single cache can provide a lot of IOPS (input/output operation per second). So, it will replace many databases, which reduce the total cost.
• Reduce the load on the backend: A proxy server cache stores the website’s static resources such as HTML files, CSS stylesheets, JavaScript files, and media files. The requested content can be accessed from the proxy server. It will reduce the load on the backend or the original server.
• Offline access: Cache also enables the application to function ”offline”.If you do not have an internet connection in your system, the web page will still show in your browser.

Conclusion

Here, you have learned the concept of cache and how it works. If you want to optimize your WordPress website, then you need to install some cache plugins like WP Rocket, w3 cache, RabbitLoader, and many more. It will help you to improve the user experience as well as SEO rankings.