Tile Caching

Tile Caching is a way to improve the performance of your server. When a layer is configured in the caching system, maps are split into tiles, and then stored in an ordered structure for later retrieval. Therefore, when a new map request hits an area already calculated, GeoServer can retrieve the tiles without having to retrieve data and render them to produce the map. This requires a smaller time than the process of creating a new map, so, caching can boost the performance of your server.

The caching system of GeoServer uses an integrated package--GeoWebCache. It is a Java-based application that complements GeoServer. Consider the following screenshot:

When creating a new layer, you may choose if it has to be cached or not. Let us explore the available options:

• The Tile Layers section lists all cached layers and lets you review and modify parameters. It also contains a link to a layer preview very similar to that listed in the Data section. The main difference is that this preview...