A cache stores a result so a later request can reuse it. This can reduce repeated work and shorten delivery, but only when the stored response is appropriate for the next request.

Freshness, cache keys, and invalidation define the behavior. Content that differs by user or hostname needs a boundary that prevents one context from receiving another context’s response.

Start by deciding what is safe to reuse and for how long. Verify both a cache hit and the path that fetches a fresh result, and plan what should happen when content changes.

An example to consider.

Consider saving the result of an expensive summary. Define which change to its source should make that saved result unsuitable for another request.

Put it in perspective.

Look at the information that outlives a single operation. Its owner, meaning, and recovery path deserve as much attention as the operation that created it.
A few starting points
  1. Name the conditions that change a response.
  2. Check the cache key and freshness rules.
  3. Verify how an update becomes visible.

Follow a related question

Define the understood inputs.

Where automation should hand back

Inspect the source and measurement method.

An outlier is a question first

Keep learning

Related background to continue exploring this subject.

Cloudflare: caching fundamentals MDN: HTTP caching
Make room for ideas