Website basics
Check caching when a website update looks old
When updated text or images still look old, separate publishing from caching. Locate the stale layer before clearing all browser data.
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Verify the deployment first
Saving a source file is not a production deployment. Confirm the published project, branch, and file for the exact URL.
Compare browser behavior
Compare normal and forced reloads using the browser's documented controls. Record whether disabling cache in developer tools changes the result. That does not automatically require deleting cookies or sign-in data.
Inspect other caches
A CDN or server cache may still serve an older response. Inspect response headers and the provider's specific configuration rather than assuming another browser bypasses every cache.
Design the update path
Versioned asset URLs can distinguish new CSS or JavaScript, but the HTML must reference them. Choose settings based on how content changes instead of disabling caching indiscriminately.
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- Confirm that the new file was published to the intended URL.
- Compare reload conditions to investigate the browser’s cached copy.
- If other browsers also show old content, examine the CDN or other caching layers.
Identify exactly what is stale
Choose one expected change before investigating: a heading, an image, or a layout adjustment. Keep a clear old-versus-new marker. “It looks old” is difficult to compare across reloads.
Review source, generated output, and production response in sequence. This prevents a change that was never published from being diagnosed as caching. If only a preview address shows the update, investigate the production deployment first.
Example: a CSS change does not appear
Suppose you published a spacing adjustment, but your usual browser still shows the previous layout. Inspect which stylesheet the published HTML references. Placing a new stylesheet on the server is insufficient if the HTML still selects an older URL.
If the reference is correct, compare the retrieved stylesheet and appearance under normal and cache-disabled test conditions. If other browsers also receive the old result, inspect the published response and delivery configuration before clearing every kind of local browser data.
Once the cause is identified, correct the relevant update path and check again under ordinary browsing conditions.
Match observations to the next investigation
| Observation | Next question |
|---|---|
| Only local output is new | Which revision was deployed? |
| HTML refers to old CSS | Was generation or the reference updated? |
| Only one browser is stale | What retrieval conditions does that browser use? |
| Several environments receive the same old content | What is published and retained by the delivery layer? |
With versioned asset URLs, publishing the new asset and updating its HTML reference form one change. With an overwritten asset, review how the configured delivery path revalidates or refreshes it.
Do not make blanket cache removal the default fix. Establish how a normal reader will obtain the intended revision after an update.
Restore any browser settings changed solely for diagnosis. A result observed only with special developer settings is useful evidence, but it is not yet the ordinary-user result you intended to verify.