Mobile Web FAQ

Caching. Compression. Transport Optimization.

1. What is caching?
2. What is compression?
3. What is transport optimization?
4. How does Makani Mobile Web Platform decide what to cache?
5. What's the best way to use the Makani Mobile Web Platform cache?
6. My website makes users log in. How can I ensure that a user doesn't see another user's cached page?

Resources

1. Caching
2. Prefetching

Additional Questions

1. What if I have a question that you haven't answered here?

Caching. Compression. Transport Optimization

[back to top]

1. What is caching?

Caching allows content to be stored closer to end users so that when they request it, it can be retrieved from the "closest" source without going back to the origin server. Caching both reduces the load on the origin server and speeds up users' online experience. The two main types of caches are browser caches (which reside on the user's mobile or computer) and proxy caches (which are on the network and can serve one or many users). Properly tuning a website's caching rules is tricky, but also provides substantial benefits which make it worth your while.

2. What is compression?

Compression allows dynamic reduction of online content: Web pages, images, scripts, text, PDF, PPT, etc. files allow aggressive compression and some large compressed files such as MP3 and Video files can be compressed further. Makani Mobile Platform compresses such online data before streaming it to the user. Since compression leads to significant overall data reduction, the user experiences dramatic benefits especially over slow and high latency links such as mobile or wireless links.

3. What is transport optimization?

Internet transport protocol TCP does not work well over high-latency, dynamically fluctuating, and lossy channels. Because wide-area Internet links and wireless channels are prone to high latency, bandwidth fluctuations, and bursty losses, the overall end-user experience using TCP based applications, for example, Web browsing or Web file transfers, remain considerably poor. Makani implements TCP optimizations especially adapted for high-latency, slow, and fluctuating channels. Makani's transport TCP/IP acceleration maximises the link utilisation, reduces latency, and improves fairness between TCP flows without requiring any changes to the end-user system TCP stack. Results: faster access to online web content and better end-user experience.

4. How does Makani Mobile Web Platform decide what to cache?

Makani Mobile Web Platform acts as a caching proxy and complies with the HTTP 1.1 specification (RFC 2616).

5. What's the best way to use the Makani Mobile Web Platform cache?

The best way to effectively use the Makani Mobile Web Platform cache is to follow the HTTP specification with respect to caching. The tutorials listed below provide some great tips on how to optimally configure your site to take advantage of caching while behaving as you intended it to.

6. My website makes users log in. How can I ensure that a user doesn’t see another user's cached page?

Pages that are behind a login and marked either as uncacheable, or private are not shared across users.

Resources

[back to top]

1. Caching

• Tutorials:
  • HTTP 1.1 Specification
  • Network Appliance Caching Tutorial for Mobile Web Authors and Mobile Webmasters
  • Brian D. Davison's Mobile Web Caching and Content Delivery Resources
  • Caching Tutorial for Mobile Web Authors and Mobile Webmasters
• Tools:
  • HTTP Header Analysis
  • Cacheability Query
• Makani Products and Services

2. Prefetching

• Mozilla Link Prefetching FAQ
• Test whether your browser is prefetching link

What if I have a question that you haven't answered here

[back to top]

1. What if I have a question that you haven't answered here?

We're happy to hear from you. Contact us at support@makaninetworks.com.