Web Development
What is caching and why does it make sites faster?
Quick answer
Caching is storing a ready-made copy of data or a page so it can be served again instantly instead of being rebuilt or re-fetched each time. Browsers, servers, and CDNs all cache, which cuts load times, reduces server work, and lets a site handle far more visitors.
Caching happens at several layers: the browser keeps local copies of images and scripts, a CDN stores pages at edge servers near users, and the backend can cache database results or whole pages. Each layer avoids repeating expensive work, so repeat visits and popular pages load almost immediately.
The trade-off is freshness, because cached content can go stale. Developers set rules for how long each item is kept and clear, or invalidate, the cache when something changes. Done well, caching is one of the highest-impact, lowest-cost ways to speed up a website.
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