cache

Pronounced like "cash", cache is a storage area for recently used data, a cache makes it possible to re-access this same data very quickly. This is useful because RAM Memory is slower compared to processor speed. Cache fills in the gap. There are several caches in a computer, each for its own purpose.

For example: cache is used by the browser to store recent browser activity. This makes it possible to instantly re-visit websites without the viewer having to wait for the browser to actually re-download all the individual images and text. Because hard drive cache is accessable quickly, cached websites speeds up browsing considerably.

Other caches include the memory cache, which allows you to re-access data from RAM memory, rather than the slower hard drive, and the processor's cache, which allows the re-access of computer instructions from within the processor itself.

[ cache module ]