What are service workers and how do caching strategies work?

What are service workers and how do they help with caching?

Service workers are scripts that run in the background of a web application, allowing for features like caching, push notifications, and background sync. They intercept network requests and can serve cached responses, improving load times and offline capabilities.

Can you explain different caching strategies used with service workers?

Sure! Common caching strategies include Cache First, where the service worker checks the cache before making a network request; Network First, which tries to fetch from the network first and falls back to the cache if offline; and Stale While Revalidate, which serves cached content while updating it in the background.

How do I implement a service worker in my web app?

To implement a service worker, you need to register it in your main JavaScript file using navigator.serviceWorker.register(). Then, create a separate JavaScript file for the service worker where you can define caching strategies and handle fetch events.

What are some best practices for using service workers?

Best practices include keeping your service worker file small, using versioning for cache management, and ensuring that you handle updates properly to avoid serving stale content.