Microcaching is a caching tactic whereby content is cached for a short periods of time. This effectively means that updates to the site are delayed by no more than a second, making the site dynamic but still gaining the benefits of caching.
Examples of dynamic content suitable for caching include:
- Site homepages, where new articles are posted periodically
- RSS Feeds
- Status pages
- An inventory, status, or fundraising counter
- Calendar data
- Personalized dynamic content generated on the client browser that is personalized using cookie data
The benefits of caching are improved web performance, and reduced load on the server. The effectiveness of caching depends on the cacheability of the content. Caching personalized content is generally not possible, because it will cause personalized content to be delivered to the wrong person. What can still benefit from caching is dynamic content that is not personalized on the server for each user, or is personalized using JavaScript.
Some MicroCaches determine what is cacheable by detecting session and login cookies. This option disables session cookies for non-logged in visitors when turned on.
