Cloudflare Enhances Cache Management
Cache Response Rules bring performance gains and cost savings.
1Solution to Cache Problems
Cloudflare announced a new feature called Cache Response Rules. This feature allows editing responses from the origin server before they are cached. Issues like incorrect Cache-Control headers or unnecessary Set-Cookie were degrading performance. Now, these problems can be easily resolved.
2CDN and Origin Server Collaboration
A CDN cache and origin server work together to deliver the fastest response to users. Cache hit ratio indicates how efficient this collaboration is. However, incorrect directives from the origin server can reduce cache efficiency.
3Impact of Wrong Headers
A Set-Cookie header from the origin server can unnecessarily exclude a cacheable file. This small mistake, when repeated across all users and sites, increases bandwidth costs and degrades performance.
4Cache-Control Issues
Origin servers sometimes send Cache-Control directives unsuitable for CDNs. For example, using no-cache blocks cacheable files. Such issues can be hard to fix in large teams.
5ETag and Revalidation
Overly aggressive ETag values cause revalidation on every conditional request, creating unnecessary load. Cache Response Rules can edit such headers to improve performance.
6Team Coordination Challenges
If the team managing the origin server is different from the CDN team, even a simple header change can take weeks. Cache Response Rules eliminate this coordination need.
7Limitations of Existing Solutions
Until now, there were three options to solve cache issues: modify origin code, rewrite responses with a Worker, or accept a low cache hit ratio. Each adds cost or latency.
8Advantages of Cache Response Rules
The new feature allows editing origin responses before caching. Headers like Cache-Control, Set-Cookie, and ETag can be modified. No origin code changes are required.
9Two-Phase Cache Decision
Cache Rules run during the request phase, answering 'should we check cache?' Cache Response Rules operate in the response phase, addressing 'should this response be cached?' They complement each other.
10From Page Rules to Modern Solutions
Cloudflare has evolved cache management over time. Initially limited to Page Rules, it now offers flexible control with features like Cache Rules and CDN-Cache-Control. Cache Response Rules are the latest step.
11Saving Engineering Time
Cache Response Rules don’t require changes to the origin server, saving teams time and resources. They also introduce no additional latency.
12Performance and Cost Benefits
Cache Response Rules improve cache hit ratio, reducing origin server load. This enhances performance while lowering infrastructure costs, offering significant advantages for Cloudflare users.
Original article: Cloudflare Blog — Cloudflare, Önbellek Yönetimini Geliştiriyor