Cached data - keep it or clear it out?
You might have noticed, but when opening an app or visiting a website for the first time can take longer than on a subsequent visits to the same site. This extra time taken is primarily due to our devices not having cached data for the website or app.
If you’re not quite sure what cached data is, let's take a quick look.
Cached data are files, scripts, images, and other multimedia stored on your device after opening an app or visiting a website for the first time. This data is then used to quickly gather information about the app or website every time revisited, reducing load time. The amount of data that your device can hold has its limits. Like having a bucket. With every open website visited comes a bartering of information. With each page visited, the bucket fills up. The data for the newest pages you are visiting sits at the bottom. While the oldest floats to the top. Once there is no room remaining, out it goes. Making way for new data. The user gets to enjoy content in exchange for location info, which device they’re using, which browser they’re using, time spent on pages, and other user behaviours.
Laptops, tablets, smartphones, it doesn’t matter. All our devices have some level of reserved space (bucket) to store this type of data for quick access. The technique of storing cache data or cache files as history on a phone or web browser to improve the user experience on future visits to a website or an app is known as caching.
Impact on a Joomla! website
When adding making changes to existing content, if you check the change at the front end (a great habit) sometimes you will notice the your work hasn't change! In this instance, clear the cache.
Access
This is screen accessible via: Select System → Clear Cache from the drop-down menus.