Cache

Definition - What does Cache mean?

Cache is a data storing technique that provides the ability to access data or files at a higher speed.

Cache is implemented both in hardware and software. It serves as an intermediary component between the primary storage appliance and the recipient hardware or software device to reduce the latency in data access.

Techopedia explains Cache

Cache works in both hardware and software services to provide similar functionality. In its physical or hardware form, it is a small form factor of internal memory that stores instances of the most frequently executed programs in the main memory to enable faster access when they are requested by the CPU. In another scenario, cache is enabled by allocating a specific amount of storage space on the local hard disk to be used for caching service, although this is much slower than the internal cache.

Cache in software is used mainly by the Web browser to store data such as Web pages, images, icons and banners to enable a website to load faster once it has already loaded a first time.

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