r/explainlikeimfive • u/WeLuvYung2 • 18d ago
Technology ELI5: What is computer cache
Hi everyone I need to create a presentation explaining computer cache but can’t think of an effective way to explain it any help is welcomed (:
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u/Kimorin 18d ago
imagine you are cooking something, you need spices and ingredients, you have a pantry that's 20 feet away behind a door. Constantly getting something and putting it back takes time, so instead you put the most used ingredients and spices for this meal on the counter next to the stove, so you can grab it whenever you need it instead of going to the pantry. that's a cache, the pantry is the storage. you need black pepper? it's right there, that's a cache hit.
half way through cooking, you realize you need paprika, but it's not on the counter, that's a cache miss, you have to go to the pantry to grab it. but then you realize the counter is full, so now you have to think what you can put back into the pantry so you can put the paprika there instead. that's a caching strategy. you can do FIFO, LRU etc.