What are the best practices for using ETags in web development?

What are the best practices for using ETags in web development?

ETags are great for caching and optimizing web performance. Best practices include using strong ETags for versioning and ensuring they are unique to the resource.

How do I implement ETags in my application?

You can implement ETags by generating a unique identifier for each resource and including it in the HTTP response header as 'ETag'. Make sure to update it whenever the resource changes.

What are the differences between strong and weak ETags?

Strong ETags indicate that the resource is byte-for-byte identical, while weak ETags allow for some changes, like metadata, without requiring a full re-fetch.

Can ETags improve my website's SEO?

Indirectly, yes! By improving load times and reducing server load, ETags can enhance user experience, which is a factor in SEO rankings.

Are there any downsides to using ETags?

One downside is that ETags can add complexity to your caching strategy, and if not managed properly, they may lead to stale content being served.