Caching in web design refers to the process of temporarily storing data to improve the loading time and performance of a website. When a website is cached, certain data such as images, CSS files or scripts are temporarily stored on the user's device. This means that this data can be retrieved more quickly when the website is visited again, as it does not have to be reloaded from the server.
A simple example of caching is the storage of images on the user's device. Suppose a visitor visits a website and downloads an image. If the image is stored in the cache, it will not be reloaded from the server the next time the website is visited, but retrieved directly from the cache. This results in a faster page load time as the image is already available on the user's device.
Another example of caching is the storage of CSS files. If a website has several pages with the same CSS code, the browser can save the CSS code in the cache the first time the page is visited. This means that the CSS code does not have to be downloaded again each time the page is changed, which reduces the overall loading time of the website.
Caching is important to optimise the performance of a website and improve user-friendliness. By reducing the loading time, visitors can access content faster and have a better overall experience on the website. However, it is important to configure and manage caching correctly to ensure that the most up-to-date information is always displayed and that no outdated data is loaded from the cache.