What are the different types of server-side caching techniques commonly used?
What are the different types of server-side caching techniques commonly used?
Ask by Sanjay Goenka
Updated 26 May 2023
There are several commonly used server-side caching techniques. Here are some of the most common ones:
Full-page caching caches the entire HTML content of your website. If the user requests the same page again, it will be served directly from the cache without running any backend logic or querying the database. This technique works well for static pages or pages whose content does not change often.
Fragment caching refers to caching specific parts or fragments of web pages that are dynamically or frequently updated. Instead of caching the entire page, only sections that require dynamic rendering or computation are cached. This allows you to balance caching and delivering up-to-date content.
Caching the results of frequently executed database queries can significantly improve performance. Instead of executing the same query multiple times, the cached results are served to subsequent identical queries. This reduces the load on the database and improves response time.
Object caching involves caching specific objects or data structures in memory. This may involve caching object-relational mapping (ORM) objects, serialized data, or complex data structures. Caching objects avoids expensive operations such as database queries and complex calculations on subsequent requests, resulting in faster response times.
CDNs are commonly used to cache static assets such as images, CSS files, JavaScript files, and other media files. CDNs store these files on distributed servers closer to end users, reducing latency and improving content delivery performance.
If your application exposes data through APIs, it may be beneficial to cache API responses. API response caching caches responses from API calls. Subsequent requests for the same data can be served directly from the cache, reducing the need for redundant API calls.
HTTP caching is based on using HTTP headers to control caching behavior. By setting appropriate headers such as "Cache-Control" or "Expires", the server instructs the client or intermediate caching proxies to cache the response. This technique works well for static resources and content that doesn't change often.
In-memory caching stores cached data directly in memory, typically in an application server or a dedicated cache server. This makes memory access much faster than disk access, allowing quick access to cached data. Examples of in-memory caching systems are Memcached and Redis.
These caching techniques can be used individually or in combination depending on the specific needs and characteristics of your application. Choosing a caching technique depends on factors such as data volatility, access patterns, and the type of content being cached.