Why AppCache is a PITA

and why should you use it anyways

by Kimmo Puputti

WAT? - simple

• MIME type text/cache-manifest

CACHE MANIFEST

# version 0.1

CACHE:
/js/app.js
/css/app.css
/img/sprite.png

NETWORK:
*

Kewl

• Easy setup
• Full offline support
• Takes a _lot_ of the load off the server
• Degrades gracefully
• Dedicated long-term cache space instead of browser-global cache

Just like in Strömsö?

Hold your horses

• Dev-mode hassles
• A single 404 invalidates the _whole_ cache
• The HTML doc cached always (wait what?)
• No granular JS API
• What about RWD and images?
• (lack of) user control or knowledge of offline support
• So you have an update...

WTF?

WTF?

Moar

• Use it, but be careful with it
• http://appcachefacts.info/
• A List Apart: Application Cache is a Douchebag by Jake Archibald
• Application Cache: Douchebag slides by Jake Archibald
• Improving app cache by Steve Souders
• TJEU: chrome://appcache-internals/