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JavaScript

Olivia Wesnidge
Olivia Wesnidge
3,733 Points
Posted by Olivia Wesnidge
Olivia Wesnidge
3,733 Points

Why don't browsers include libraries such as jQuery in local storage?

Why don't browsers include libraries such as jQuery in local storage (i.e. with installation of browser) so that whenever a website tries to load said files the browser will recognize it and just use the local storage copy saving in network traffic and loading time?

1 Answer

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,732 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,732 Points

One reason that springs to mind right off is that the libraries tend to be updated more often than the browsers, and not everyone updates their browser the moment a new one is available.

Another reason is that a particular site might only work with a particular library version (perhaps not the most current), but they supply the library from their own site and can insure compatibility that way.

On the other hand, a lot of sites deliberately do not store the library but load it from a common CDN resource (like Google). Chances are you've recently visited another site that does the same thing, so the library is already on your machine (in the cache area), and it gets loaded from there. In those cases, it does save the network time.