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httpcookieshttp-caching

Forcing browser to consider cookie value in cacheing response


I maintain a website where the front page is in a different language based on the value of a language cookie. However, when the browser caches this page, it does not consider that sending along a different value for this lang cookie could give a different page back, leading to it caching and present the old language value even after the user has indicated a preference for a different language. Can I tell the browser that this cookie should influence caching decisions, and if so how?


Solution

  • Found a solution myself in the HTTP Vary header. Adding

    Vary: Cookie
    

    will cause the browser to consider requests different if any of their cookie headers differ, which is sufficient for the use case I am having (although it can be inefficient when there are multiple cookies only some of which affect the outcome of the request)