Building a Web 2.0 Portal with ASP.NET 3.5

Chapter 9. Improving Client-Side Performance

There are three major reasons for an Ajax site to slow down: large amount of content loaded in one single page, frequent web service calls, and repeated web service calls. Unless these three reasons are handled effectively, the site becomes slow to load and feels sluggish to use. However, intelligent caching can solve both problems. Besides caching, there are some browser-specific issues and design decisions that need to be made for a smoother user experience after the whole page is loaded. In this chapter, you will learn some advanced caching techniques, how to load pages progressively, and how to give the browser a chance to render content in a fast and smooth way.

Understanding Web Caching

Let’s get into the details of the various ways to make web caching work in your favor. Web caching needs careful thinking and planning. Sometimes it requires architectural changes to make various parts of the site cacheable. In this section, we will discuss in detail how web caching works and how it can be used for a faster download experience. If you plan your site well, caches can help your web site load faster and reduce the load on your server and Internet link. The difference can be dramatic—a site that is difficult to cache may take several seconds to load, while one that takes advantage of caching can seem instantaneous in comparison. Users will appreciate a fast-loading site and will visit more often.

Basics of Web Caching

Web caches preserve ...