Smart Cache Manual
Chapter 2 Basics informations

2.1 What is Smart Cache

Smart Cache is a full-featured proxy caching server and web forwarder written entirely in 100% pure Java (Java 1.1 or later is required). Smart Cache was inspired by two most popular caches - modern Squid and old but good CERN httpd (a very few people uses CERN today). Smart Cache gets only ideas from this program, no source code is really used (there are both written in C). Smart Cache has been primarily written as a my Personal Proxy Cache. This Personal Proxy Cache replaces your internal browser cache and offers some extra features. But this does not means that this program is limited, you can use it without problems for caching the whole network or as a nowadays very popular web forwarding (web accelerator) or transparent proxy.

2.2 Smart Cache summary

I have got a very nice following summary of Smart Cache's main features by email.

First I like to say you've done a great job with SCache. It does not only anonymize me, like many other programs, it's main feature, the cache, is a great thing not only for speeding up surfing but also for offline browsing. I use it under OS/2 and under Windows without any problems.

2.3 Features List

Why is this great for dial-up users? Because you can:

• Block unwanted URLs. What about blocking some adverts? This makes browsing much faster. Try to block adverts at least on your favourite www servers.
• Replace blocked adverts with your own images. Quite interesting.
• Cookies filter for enhancing browsing privacy.
• Referer URL filter for enhancing browsing privacy.
• Redirect your browser to avoid multiple caching of the same WWW server. For example, if a WWW server has two aliases (www.netmag.cz and netmag.cz), you can tell Smart Cache these are the same server!
• Make "aliases" for your favourite pages. Try: Redirect http://myhome/* http://www.geocities.com/blah/blah/*
• Faster and better than internal browser cache; see Other off line browsing solutions, Section 1.4. I recommend using Netscape and turning off disk cache while leaving a small (about 2MB) memory cache. This makes my Netscape significantly faster.
• Because we use CERN-style methods for saving objects into cache, you may easily look into cache and see what's in it.
• Stored objects don't have any "noise" inside, like in other caches. You may locate for example a .zip file stored in cache and immediately unpack it to the desired location without needing removing http headers like in other caches (Squid, Apache).
• All types of documents including "UNCACHEABLE" objects can be cached - like counters, etc. Look for directive pragma_no_cache
• Optionally - If you press Stop in your browser, Smart Cache can still loads the object into the cache. So if you return to page later, you can see it immediately loaded.
• Great for downloading many small files via the browser without needing to apply boring Save as.. procedure to all. Simply click on one - don't wait for it be downloaded - and click on the next one. After all objects have been loaded, you can locate them in the cache and copy/move them to your desired directory or you may click on them in your browser.
• Smart Cache works even if you are off line and simulates Internet connection quite good.
• You will not see any difference between on-line and off line browsing.
• Smart Cache is fully transparent, you will not have any problems with updating off line cached pages.
• Smart Cache do not run garbage collection when it wants. Until you run garbage collection by hand, you are sure that all previously seen web pages are also on your hard drive.
• Very configurable garbage collection. You can decide what pages are important for you and you Smart Cache keeps it in cache longer.
• Damaged cache can be repaired without losing all cached data.