Effective caching reduces server load and improves performance. Here's how to implement HTTP caching correctly.
Cache-Control Header
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ETag and Conditional Requests
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CDN Configuration
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Cache Invalidation
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Vary Header
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Service Worker Caching
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Cache Debugging
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Best Practices
Headers:
✓ Use Cache-Control over Expires
✓ Set appropriate max-age values
✓ Use immutable for versioned assets
✓ Use stale-while-revalidate for API
Strategy:
✓ Version static assets in URL
✓ Use ETags for dynamic content
✓ Separate public and private content
✓ Plan cache invalidation
CDN:
✓ Use s-maxage for CDN-specific caching
✓ Implement cache tags
✓ Set up purge automation
✓ Monitor cache hit rates
Conclusion
Effective HTTP caching balances freshness and performance. Use long cache times with versioned URLs for static assets, short TTLs with stale-while-revalidate for APIs, and plan your cache invalidation strategy from the start. Monitor cache hit rates to ensure your strategy is working.