How to Save Bandwidth With CacheFile

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If you use any Javascript libraries in your web projects then you’ll be interested in a new service launched yesterday by Jon Davis at www.cachefile.net

If you use a library such as jQuery you can now link directly to a jQuery file stored on the Cache File server. They keep current and previous versions of the most common libraries online and the service is available for anyone to use.

Bandwidth Savings

This idea has the great advantage of saving you and others bandwidth used in downloading javascript libraries to the client browser. This has positive commercial and efficiency implications for your hosting costs, which can’t be a bad thing.

Fast Page Loads

Even if you’re not concerned about reducing bandwidth costs, there are benefits to be had in terms of keeping page load speeds to a minimum. Again to use the example of jQuery, if the visitors to you site has already visited a site which also uses the jQuery file stored on the Cache File server, when they visit your website, the jQuery library will already be considered cached and there will be no need to download it for use on your site. This will result in faster page loads and make your web site more responsive on the first page visit.

So What’s On Offer?

The service is free and they have indicated that it will continue be free unless your site is a particularly heavy user of the service, in which case you will be approached and asked to donate to the project. They also have the option to place a usage cap on the heavy users.

The following javascript libraries are available in their current and previous versions:

• aflax
• dojo
• ext
• jquery
• MochiKit
• mootools
• prototype
• script.aculo.us
• yui

Common images such as RSS icons are also available for use.

Their open to suggestions for other common files that they could serve and I guess some of the CSS frameworks or a CSS reset stylesheet could also be a candidate.

All Your Javascript Eggs In One Basket

There is of course a risk in handing over responsibility for serving up your javascript library files to one company for all of your sites and it is still early days. In their own words,

“In BETA - The site has just gone live, we are feeling things out right now. If there is a lot of negative feedback about this project, or too little participation, we may specify an end date for this project; otherwise, this web URL and the content hosted here will be online indefinitely. Please comment in the forums!”

Let’s hope enough people get behind the project, but keep local copies of those libraries and be ready to switch the URLs just in case.

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Filed under CacheFile, How To Manage A Website, Reviews

Tags: aflax, CacheFile, dojo, ext, javascript, javascript libraries, jquery, MochiKit, mootools, page load times, prototype, script.aculo.us, yui