Intelligent caching

Summary

Function

contentXXL allows for the temporary storage of already retrieved pages in the main memory of the web server for a selectable period of time. These pages can then be made available especially rapidly - without causing additional load

Your benefit

Information is delivered more rapidly
Costs for the purchase of additional hardware and software are saved

Details "Page Caching"

Scalability – various solutions

The advantages of using content management systems for the management of dynamic websites are obvious. Its disadvantages are addressed more rarely: the provision of the current data, its display via templates, perhaps even tailored to special user groups involves a great deal of computing power. Once the desired number of visits and page views has finally been reached, the considerations of scalability neglected in the initial phase may have to be made up for.

Various solutions suggest themselves:

• Hardware upgrade
• Generation of static sites
• Using caching technologies
• Use of cache technologies

Hardware upgrade

Considering the falling prices, hardware upgrade is a fairly good idea, since a bit more memory and an additional processor often help. Licence costs and problems concerning load distribution between several computers, however, limit this procedure.

Generation of static sites

In case the websites are not generated out of the CMS dynamically during runtime, but are generated statically upon publication, this results in a considerably more effective application. This approach is, however, not reasonable for an increasing number of application cases. Just think of product catalogues with different views and classifications: this rapidly involves a great deal of pages. In addition, an effective search function or personalisation cannot be realised.

Use of cache technologies

A cache is an intermediate memory preceding the website. The request of the user is at first forwarded to the cache - instead of the web server. This checks whether the retrieved page is already available in the cache from previous requests. If this is the case, the user receives the whole page from the cache; in doing so, web servers and database servers are relieved. In case the page is not found in the cache, it forwards the request to the web server. The request is processed in the usual way but stored in the cache for future requests. As cache, standard products - which are often not inexpensive - can be used. Scalable content management systems, however, should contain cache technologies themselves. This allows for better control of the updates required in case of editorial changes.

contentXXL page caching

Although the proportion of the actually variable parts of a typical website is often relatively low, the current state-of-the-art frequently requires a completely new structuring of the website upon each retrieval. ContentXXL allows for the temporary storage of already retrieved pages in the main memory of the web server. The temporarily stored pages are automatically removed in case of editorial changes - or in case they are no longer needed.

This allows for high flexibility and leads to high-performance and at the same time updated websites without using additional software or hardware.

What is it capable of?

• Temporary storage of various pages for different periods of time
• Exclusion of certain pages form caching, e.g. because they contain personalised contents
• The server load is reduced in particular for the database
•  Frequently retrieved pages can be made available especially rapidly