Custom Caching Overview in SharePoint Server 2010 (ECM)

Applies to: SharePoint Server 2010

You can use Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 caching options to optimize the performance of your sites. SharePoint Server 2010 uses ASP.NET caching options and caching functionality that the Office team designed specifically for SharePoint Server 2010.

The caching topics describe caching technologies available in SharePoint Server 2010 and how and when to configure caching options to maximize performance and reduce latency. You can:

  • Customize caching at the page level by using output caching.

  • Customize caching options for individual objects, such as Web Parts, navigation actions, and site map provision, by using object caching.

  • Control if, how, and when your site uses disk-based caching to reduce latency and improve rendering times for image, sound files, and custom code, such as cascading style sheets (.css) and ECMAScript (JavaScript, JScript) (.js) files.

Table 1 shows the types of caching available in SharePoint Server 2010 and what they do.

Table 1. Types of caching in SharePoint Server 2010

Use this type of caching…

At the…

Notes

Output Caching and Cache Profiles in SharePoint Server 2010 (ECM)

Individual page level

Includes extending caching by using VaryByCustomString.

Object Caching in SharePoint Server 2010 (ECM)

Individual Web Part control, field control, and content level

Includes cross-list query caching and navigation caching.

Disk-Based Caching for Binary Large Objects in SharePoint Server 2010 (ECM)

Individual binary large object (BLOB) level; caches images, sound, video, and code

Supports .gif, .jpg, .js, .css, and other image, sound, and code files that are stored as binary large objects.

You can vastly improve the performance of your SharePoint Server 2010 deployment by:

  • Building cache-aware controls.

  • Extending caching in ways appropriate for your site deployment.

  • Building navigation providers that always use the object cache.

  • Creating content queries that use the Content By Query cache.

  • Creating server controls for your master page and page layouts that minimize database roundtrip.

Developers should note that SharePoint Server 2010 supplies dedicated caches for navigation nodes and content returned from potentially expensive retrieval operations, such as standard Microsoft SharePoint Foundation queries run by using an SPQuery object and cross-site queries run by using an SPSiteDataQuery object.

Note

Although SharePoint Server 2010 does not enable you to use ASP.NET output caching directives in the same way that you can in a standard ASP.NET page, it provides a more robust framework to achieve similar results.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Extend Caching by Using the VaryByCustom Event Handler in SharePoint Server 2010 (ECM)