Edge Caching
This page explains the different types of caching, including when to use them.
What is an Edge Cache?
An edge cache stores resources closer to the end user, using EDJX Nodes that reside at the edge of the network. Edge caching reduces stress on large networks and speeds up content delivery to the customer. When you set the edge cache, you tell the EdjCDN how long to cache a resource in the EDJX peer-to-peer (P2P) network.
What is a Browser Cache?
A browser cache temporarily stores data in a user’s web browser and their local drive. Storing the files locally allows users to retrieve static resources faster. Most websites communicate with a browser to update the content stored in the cache when it becomes obsolete. The browser deletes the old content and saves the content as needed.
You need to set the browser time to live (TTL) if you want to control when content is updated for your visitors.
A browser cache temporarily saves the following content types:
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HTML pages
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CSS stylesheets
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JavaScript scripts
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Images
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Multiple types of multimedia content, depending on the browser settings
Recommendations for High and Low TTLs
Use longer (high number) TTLs for the following resource record types:
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MX record
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TXT record
Records that point to your web server or EdjCDN should have a higher TTL value, since they are rarely changed.
When changing a resource record, use a low TTL because the changes will not occur until the TTL expires.
When modifying dynamic websites, use a low TTL because content updates are more frequent.
What is a Cache Purge?
Purging your cache means that you control when the content is removed from the cache rather than wait for the preset cache to expire on the server.
When to purge the cache for a website:
Client-side
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You are running out of space on your local drive.
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You know a website has been updated, but your local cache has not been refreshed with the new content.
Server-side
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You have thousands of daily visitors to your site, and you need to make an immediate change to a product launch.
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You manage an e-commerce site, and you recently ran out of inventory for a hot item, which now needs to be removed from the site.
See Start Cache Purge for details.