15. Configure WebSphere Dynamic Caching

WebSphere Application Server’s caching functionality lets you cache the dynamic content generated by J2EE application components — servlets and Java Server Pages (JSPs) — and push that content to an HTTP server/plug-in and/or Caching Proxy system. (The Caching Proxy is a feature of the Edge Components for WebSphere, part of the WebSphere Application Server – Network Deployment offering.) You can also configure the application server to cache the static content (e.g., HTML, image files) served through the file-serving enabler servlet. This chapter’s discussion will help you understand WebSphere caching and show you how to configure and verify dynamic caching on the application server and optionally move the cached content to the edge (HTTP server and/or Caching Proxy).

The diagram in Figure 15-1 illustrates a multitiered caching solution. This configuration relies on the Caching Proxy, the Edge Side Include (ESI) processor (a built-in processor contained in the plug-in), and the application server’s dynamic caching service.