Caching 101. Basic things you need to know about caching.

Caching is a technique that is used to temporarily store frequently accessed data in faster memory storage so that it can be quickly retrieved when needed. Caching is a powerful tool that can significantly improve the performance and scalability of web applications.

There are several different types of caching, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Some of the most common types of caching include:

1. Client-side caching: This type of caching involves storing data directly in the client's web browser or device, so that it can be quickly accessed without having to request it from the server. This is a great way to speed up the loading time of your web pages, but it can be less reliable than server-side caching because the data is stored on the client's machine and can be deleted or modified.

2. Server-side caching: This type of caching involves storing data directly on the web server, so that it can be quickly accessed by multiple clients. This is a more reliable form of caching than client-side caching, but it can be more complex to set up and manage.

3. Reverse proxy caching: This type of caching involves using a reverse proxy server, such as Varnish or Nginx, to store data on behalf of a web application. Reverse proxy caching can be highly effective at improving the performance of web applications, but it can also be complex to set up and manage.

4. Content Delivery Network (CDN) caching: This type of caching is done by distributing a copy of the data to multiple servers that are located in different geographical locations. This allows the users to access the data from the closest server to them, this is efficient and faster than having to connect to a single server.

When deciding which type of caching to use, it's important to consider the needs of your web application, as well as the resources that you have available. For example, if your web application is primarily accessed by users in a single location, server-side caching might be the best option. But if your web application is accessed by users all around the world, using a CDN caching might be the most efficient.

There are also different ways to implement caching in an application like in-memory caching, disk caching, and database caching. In-memory caching is the fastest but the least persistent; disk caching is slower but more persistent, while database caching is the slowest but the most persistent. The choice of which one to use depends on your application's requirements.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when implementing caching is to have a good cache invalidation strategy. Cache invalidation is the process of removing data from the cache when it is no longer needed or when it becomes stale. A good cache invalidation strategy should be able to handle changes to the data and remove stale data from the cache without removing valid data.

In conclusion, caching is a powerful technique that can be used to significantly improve the performance and scalability of web applications. There are several different types of caching available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of which one to use will depend on the needs of your application. It's also important to implement a good cache invalidation strategy to ensure that the data stored in the cache is always fresh and accurate.