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Cache-Control Header Generator

Build caching headers without guessing what the directives do.

Directives

Cache-Control header

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Quick Tool Overview

The Cache-Control Header Generator builds caching headers from presets for the common cases, explaining each directive as you pick it — including the ones that do the opposite of what they sound like. no-cache does not mean do not cache; that is no-store. The Apache and nginx configuration to set the header is written alongside it.

What it does
Builds Cache-Control headers and the server config to set them
You give it
The kind of content you are serving
You get back
The header, a plain-English summary, and Apache and nginx directives
Best for
Getting caching right on assets, pages and API responses
SEO Tools Free, unlimited use No sign-up Runs in your browser

About the Cache-Control Header Generator

Pick what you are serving and the generator writes the Cache-Control header for it, with every directive explained in the panel beside it and the matching Apache and nginx configuration produced underneath.

Caching is one of the few things that is both high-impact and almost free, and it is consistently done badly because the directives are unintuitive. no-cache does not mean do not cache — it means cache this but revalidate before using it; the directive for do not cache is no-store. public and private describe whether shared caches may hold a copy, not whether the content is secret. And immutable, the one that actually matters for fingerprinted assets, stops a browser revalidating on refresh, which is where a surprising amount of latency hides. Presets for the common cases are here so you can start from something correct.

Key features of the Cache-Control Header Generator

Presets that are correct

Fingerprinted assets, HTML pages, images, API responses and private content each start from the right place.

Directives explained

no-cache versus no-store, public versus private — the two pairs people reliably get backwards.

immutable included

The directive that removes a revalidation round trip on every refresh, which most sites still pay.

Plain-English summary

A sentence saying what browsers and CDNs will actually do, so a wrong tick is obvious.

Server config written

The Apache and nginx directives, not just the header value.

How to use the Cache-Control Header Generator

  1. 1

    Choose what you are serving

    An HTML page, a fingerprinted asset, an image, an API response or something private.

  2. 2

    Adjust the directives

    Each one is explained as you tick it, including the ones that do the opposite of what they sound like.

  3. 3

    Read the plain-English summary

    A sentence describing what browsers and CDNs will actually do with it.

  4. 4

    Copy the configuration

    The raw header, plus the Apache and nginx directives that set it.

Frequently asked questions

no-cache allows caching but requires revalidation before the copy is used. no-store forbids storing the response at all. They sound like synonyms and they are opposites in effect — no-store is the one for anything genuinely sensitive.

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