What Is a Cache?

A cache is a collection of items that are stored away for future use. Squirrels go to great lengths to find and store nuts (cache comes from the French verb cacher meaning “to hide”). They hide them where they think no one will ever find them. These hidden stores are caches and are very important to the squirrel; when a squirrel discovers his nuts are missing, he gets very upset and storms about looking possessed.

Fortunately, caches aren’t necessary for our survival, but they are necessary for super fast web sites. Like a squirrel foraging for nuts, it is much faster to go to a location close by and help yourself from your store than it is to go into the freezing weather and hunt around in the (quite possibly vain) hope of finding some. One is clearly easier and faster than the other, and this is what makes caching so beneficial.